Avatar: Rise of the Shadowbenders
by Calamity Heart
Summary: Five hundred years after the fall of Phoenix King Ozai, the Airbenders are beginning to flourish again and the four nations are finally beginning to know peace once again. Until now. Full summary inside.
1. Introduction

_Water… Earth… Fire… Air…_

_Long ago, the four Nations lived in harmony, but then everything changed when the Fire Nation attacked. Only the Avatar, master of all four elements, could stop them, but when the world needed him most, he vanished._

_One hundred years passed, and the next Avatar in the cycle was discovered by two siblings, Katara and Sokka. He was an Airbender named Aang, who tried to run away from his destiny. _

_But with the help of his discoverers and a myriad of friends, and even a few adversaries that he discovered along the way, Aang learned Waterbending, Earthbending, and Firebending, becoming a fully-realized Avatar and stopping the Fire Nation before they engulfed the world in flames._

_Five hundred years later, the Airbenders slowly began to flourish again, and the nations once again knew peace… Until now._

000

Night had fallen over the Earth Kingdom city of Bure Ku, where not even the crickets found time to chirp. In the center of the city was a large stone sundial, where the entire flat plate of the stone clock was completely darkened, meaning that it was close to midnight, if it wasn't already.

The lush, leafy forest that lay just outside the village walls swallowed the moonlight like a black hole.

On the edge of the forest, there was movement. The slightest, microscopic movement, but movement it was. It was the movement of a shadow, a shadow that didn't belong to any tree. The shadow slowly crept out of the tree line. Following the shadow was a small group of only three people.

Two people on either side wore jet-black clothing and wore white cloths over their mouths and noses. Their eyes were hard and diluted, as if they had not seen any sunlight in years.

The man between them was obviously a Firebender. He wore red and burgundy garbs and had red star tattoos on the backs of his hands.

"Do you have the device?" the man on the far left asked the Firebender in a low, snarling voice.

The center man nodded and held up a glass vial filled with an oily purple liquid that was corked with cotton. There was a fuse that extended from the liquid to the outside of the vial.

"I can't see a thing." the Firebender said warily, raising a finger and lighting a small flame.

"Put that out, you idiot!" the man on the right hissed. "Are you trying to kill us?"

"N-No, sir! I-I was simply-"

"We don't care! Don't firebend again until we tell you to!"

"Y-Yes, sir!"

"If you three are done bickering, the comet is about to arrive. If we don't do this now, we won't get another chance until the next century! Now, let's go." said the shadow, which was slowly slithering forward toward the wall.

The two men on either side of the Firebender grabbed his arms, then all three began to sink into the ground, becoming one, whole shadow, which slithered alongside the first shadow.

The two snaky apparitions sidled up the city wall, just out of the field of vision of the two Earthbending guards. Once they were safely inside the city, the three men rose from the ground, and the single shadow ahead of them rose also.

Surprisingly, it was a woman, with flowing white hair and black eyes that, like her two associates, were cold and diluted.

"Let's go. The location is just ahead." she said with a shockingly smooth voice, unlike the other two.

The other three followed the woman to the center of the city, in front of the sundial.

"Lady Reigo, look." one black-clothed man said, pointing at the sundial. A small, wire-thin shadow began to form, and the dim light surrounding it was a fiery shade of red.

Reigo looked to the sky and noticed a strange light that did not come from the sun. It took her only a moment to realize where the light came from.

"Sozin's Comet has arrived at last." she said. "It appears that we won't have time to go underground. Place the device on the sundial and light it."

"You heard her. Place it." one man barked lowly to the Firebender.

With knees like jelly, the Firebender walked up to the sundial and placed the vial, but hesitated to light the fuse.

"We don't have all day, you miserable wretch!" Reigo hissed, momentarily losing the cool demeanor that she had kept up until this point. She quickly gathered her composure and breathed in.

"Just light the fuse and let's go."

The Firebender nodded and created another small flame on his finger, which was much more powerful than the one he had made before, because of the power of the comet. He touched the flame to the comet and lit the fuse.

As soon as the fuse started burning down, the two other men quickly grabbed the Firebender and dove into shadow form again. Reigo did the same and the two shadows zipped quickly back to where they came, scaling the city wall without disturbing the Earthbenders, and diving back into the shadows.

Once again, all was silent as Sozin's Comet rose higher into the sky, followed slowly by the sun. But after only a minute of serenity,

_**KRAKOOOOOOOOOM!**_

A powerful, unexpected explosion engulfed the entire city and the surrounding forest, rising up so quickly that the hearts of the Earthbender guards didn't even have time to jump. As the white-hot flames rose higher in the air, they formed a huge cloud, that tipped at the peak of it, like a black, smoky, giant mushroom.

A/N: Sorry, the chapter is so short, but it's just an introductory. I'll get to work on the first chapter soon. ^^

EDIT: There appears to be something wrong with my Traffic. It says that I haven't gotten any hits or visitors since Sunday, and since I've gotten reviews on Sunday and Monday, no visitors or hits would be impossible, so I'm asking that you please review my story so that I know that you're reading. I'm desperate, and FF support is not helping me. Please?


	2. The Beginning

In the far reaches of the mountains, surrounded by a field of seemingly endless mist, three mountains covered with buildings trimmed with dark green and gold jutted out of the earth like the lower teeth of a great beast, the great land that was the Eastern Air Temple.

Within the incongruous territory of the temple, a small group of children, mostly young women, were playing in the center of a town square. A couple of older men were watching as the girls scampered around, Airbending to their hearts' content. They were focused on one in particular.

"Hm hm. Suni is only twelve, and she already looks more like Aang than you, Naga." the eldest man chuckled. The man standing beside him laughed with him.

"I guess it's to be expected. She is a direct descendant, along with her sister."

"Hm? Speaking of Meiya, where is the young Avatar, anyway?"

"She is probably at the Windy Rock. She thinks of that place as her second home-"

Naga stopped as he noticed someone sitting near the edge of the square.

"Actually, there she is. I wonder why she's here."

In the square, a couple of the girls noticed Meiya, too.

"Who's that?" one girl asked.

"That's my sister, Meiya." Suni said glumly.

"You never told me you had a sister."

"She's a bit of a downer, actually. A real sharp tack."

"What's wrong with her?"

Suni frowned. "There's nothing wrong with her. Why would you ask that, Kohi?"

"Sorry. Impulse. She just seems so…detached." Kohi said, staring at Meiya.

"She always hangs out at the Windy Rock to meditate. She doesn't have any friends, even though she's the Avatar."

"She's the Avatar? I thought you were the Avatar! You're more like Aang that anybody here!"

"I wish."

"Hey, Suni. I think I heard a couple of boys talking about her a few minutes ago."

"What'd they say?"

"Not sure, but I did hear the word 'wasp'. Is that her pet name?"

Suni shook her head sadly.

"It's a cruel nickname that a couple of jerks gave her because of her hair and personality. Meiya's hair is mostly blonde, but she a huge clot of brunette hair that extends from a little above her hairline all the way to the bottom of her hair in the shape on an arrow."

"What about her personality?"

"Meiya means well, but she can be a bit hard and cold sometimes. And if you annoy her, which is fairly easy, she can really sting you with her words."

"I think I'll go talk to her." Kohi said.

"Go ahead. I promise, you'll hate her at first." Suni said, leaning back and sitting on an air bubble that she made.

As Kohi approached Meiya, the nice draft that blew around the temple began to slowly diminished, and by the time she was right beside Meiya, it had disappeared completely.

"Um, hi!" Kohi said.

Meiya didn't say a word, only continuing her faint and steady breathing.

"Hello?"

Still nothing.

"Are you alive?" Kohi asked sarcastically, reaching out a hand to poke Meiya.

"Don't touch me." Meiya said sharply, causing Kohi to swiftly reel her hand back.

"What do you want?" Meiya asked, opening one blue-green eye and looking Kohi up and down.

"I, um, just wanted to say hi. Hi!"

"I would prefer you not stand so close while I am meditating. And would you mind not yelling in my ear?"

"Um, sure." Kohi said, backing away one step.

"Farther."

Kohi backed away another step.

"Farther."

"If I go back any farther, I won't be able to talk to you."

"That's the idea."

Kohi frowned and walked back up to Meiya.

"Why do you have to push away people that are trying to be your friends?"

Meiya half-laughed, half-snorted.

"You're just like everybody else. Always in my business."

"I just want to be your friend!"

Meiya laugh-snorted again.

"If I wasn't the Avatar, you wouldn't even give me a second thought. That's all people care about. It's all about being the Avatar."

"You're mean!"

"True. I'm also 'stone-cold', 'heartless', and a 'wasp'."

The last word slid off of Meiya's tongue like poison. "Is there anything else you'd like to add? If not, could you kindly leave?"

Kohi growled and stomped off. Meiya began her steady breathing again and closed the eye she held open.

"Actually, there is something I'd like to add!" Kohi yelled, stomping back to Meiya. "Why are YOU Avatar? You're nothing like your great-grandfather was. Aang was kind and compassionate, and you're cold and uncaring! You don't deserve the title!"

"I knew I shouldn't have left the Windy Rock." Meiya said icily, standing and walking away from Kohi, who felt bad soon after her anger and frustration diminished.

"I told you that you'd hate her." Suni said, patting Kohi's shoulder.

"Yeah, but I didn't want her to hate me." Kohi said.

000

In the center of the Fire Nation capital of New Zuko, a large crowd of Earthbenders were protesting, screaming at the guards that were positioned in front of the palace door. Behind the guards, a Fire Nation peace diplomat was trying to appease the crowd.

"Please, people! Calm down! I cannot help you if you are not orderly!" he yelled.

"Why did you destroy Bure Ku, you devils?" one Earth Kingdom citizen bellowed. "That was the center of Earth Kingdom trade. Without it, not even Omashu has enough food to feed every mouth!"

"I have absolutely no knowledge of the act of terror that has fallen on Bure Ku, and neither does the Fire Lord." the diplomat said calmly.

"Then how do you explain it?"

"Why are you blaming the Fire Nation? We didn't invent fire! Why is it that whenever something explodes, we're to blame?" yelled an indignant guard.

"Because you're ALWAYS to blame!" another Earthbender responded. "The Earth Kingdom is prepared to go to war once again!"

"You're really willing to ruin five hundred years of peace?"

"You've already ruined it!"

"That's it! I've had enough of you!"

The Fire Nation guard threw his hand forward and a ball of fire flew forward and exploded at the feet of the Earth Kingdom rabble-rouser. His friends retaliated by lifting the cemented ground and tossing it at the guards and the Fire Palace.

"I've got to alert Fire Lord Houja!" the diplomat panicked, running into the palace doors.

000

In the rear palace courtyard, a young black-haired man wearing royal garbs sat in a chair within a small gazebo, tying a letter to the leg of a blood-red messenger hawk. He extended his arm outside the gazebo and waved his hand, sending the hawk off. His golden brown eyes shone against the sheer brightness of the sun and the white comet streaking across the sky.

"Prince Zuko!" yelled an alarmed voice.

Zuko turned and saw a palace guard with dents in his armor.

"I've been sent to retrieve you. Some Earthbenders started a riot in front of the palace."

"What does that have to do with me?"

"It's just a safety measure, sir. By order of your father."

Zuko snorted and stood, walking toward the side door to the palace. He flinched and broke into a run as an Earthbent rock flew through the air and completely annihilated the gazebo.

"Are you still upset?" the guard asked.

"Don't push it." Zuko said as he ran inside the palace.

000

In the city of Ba Sing Se, a young girl sat at her window, looking to the sky, like she was waiting for something. As if to answer her prayers, a Fire Nation messenger hawk flew from the sky and alighted on her window sill.

"Thank you, winged friend." the girl said, stroking the bird's head with one finger. She untied the letter from the hawk's leg and glanced at the letter. Seeing the royal seal stamped in the top-right corner, she immediately knew who it was from and blushed.

_Dear Ischi,_

_I know that as of late, it's gotten harder and harder to see each other, but rest assured that my love for you has not diminished in the slightest. As you know, I'm not good at writing casual letters, so I apologize for the business-like formatting and grammar. Now for the real reason I wrote this little memo._

_I only wish that I could ask you this in person, but if I don't do it now, I may never get another chance like this. We have known each other forever, and I know we've had our ups and downs, but after much soul-searching, I have realized that I cannot live without you._

_Ischi Bei Fong, will you make me the happiest man in the world? Will you marry me? Circle Yes or No and forward this message back to me._

_**YES NO**_

_Prince Zuko_

Ischi covered her mouth in surprise.

"My goodness. I never thought that this day would come!" Ischi said to herself. "My father will be so pleased! I must tell him immediately!"

Ischi clutched the proposal letter close to her chest, then ran out of the room. The messenger hawk squawked, then sat on the windowsill and began to croon softly.

000

On the other side of the world, a young girl was sitting in a reed boat, rowing with a bamboo oar. She used an ice telescope to see into the distance.

"Come on, where are you? Don't tell me I spent a week on the ocean for nothing! I've been tracking this thing for months now!" the girl said to herself.

"Alright, Khole, calm down. Center yourself." the girl said to herself. Khole reached one hand into the water and felt the current pulling to the east. Pulling strongly to the east.

"I've got you now!" Khole said, rowing hard in an eastern direction.

After about a minute of hard rowing, Khole heard a low moaning sound that came from underneath the ocean.

In front of Khole's boat was a dark shadow that got larger as whatever was underwater began to rise to the surface.

When the great creature broke the surface and flew into the air, Khole almost couldn't believe it. It was a massive whale-like creature, but had a shark fin where its blowhole should be, and instead of comb-bristle 'teeth', its teeth were razor sharp, like a sharks.

"I've finally found it! The great white whale shark!" Khole squealed, jumping up in her boat. "If I can tame the most aggressive creature in the ocean, I'll officially be a grandmaster Sea Beast Pacifier! Master Rodik will be so proud!"

The whale shark fell back down into the ocean.

"No way! You're not getting away from me!" Khole said, taking a deep breath and jumping out of her boat into the frigid ocean.

She used her Waterbending to jettison forward toward the great beast. She touched the whale shark's tail and held on for dear life. She closed her eyes and softened her grip only slightly on the tail.

Blue energy that was warm and comforting began to pulse from Khole's hand and throughout the whale shark, who seemed to not like it.

'Ugh. This must not be the soft spot. Maybe it's the back fin?' Khole thought as she was whipped around by the whale shark's thrashing tail.

Eventually, Khole was thrown off, and the whale shark whipped around and opened its mouth to swallow Khole whole.

The frightened Waterbender quickly used her Bending powers to rocket upwards just barely out the whale shark's reach. She broke the surface and took a deep breath.

The whale shark's tail burst out of the water and slammed down on Khole's reed boat.

"Oh, no you didn't. Now it's on." Khole whispered. "If only I had been smart enough to do this at night. Sozin's comet really screws with my Bending."

She took another breath and dove back into the water. The whale shark was circling one area, as if taunting Khole, which only made her madder. She clenched her fist, and an area of water underneath the whale shark pressurized.

Khole threw her hands to the sky, and the pressurized water lifted the whale shark. When the pressurized water hit the surface, Khole pursed her fingers together and the water froze over, creating a sheet of thick ice on the surface, with the whale shark thrashing about.

Khole jumped onto the ice sheet and touched the whale shark's back fin, sending another surge of relaxing blue energy into the beast.

This new wave seemed to have a better effect, as the whale shark stopped thrashing and begun to make a low humming noise.

"Did I do it?" Khole asked herself as she touched the ice sheet and watched it instantly melt back into water. The whale shark swam back into the water and all stayed dormant for a moment.

All of a sudden, the whale shark once again rose to the surface, playfully leaping over Khole's head and splashing her with icy water.

"It worked! I am a grandmaster Beast Pacifier!" Khole screamed at the sky. "I've befriended the Unagi, the lion seal, and now the great white whale shark! Go me! But how am I going to get home to celebrate, and how am I going to get proof?"

Khole's hopes were dashed for a moment, but then the whale shark used its snout to lift Khole into the air with a playful whale whinny.

"I think I'll name you Majesty. You're so…majestic! But can I ask you a favor? Can you swim me back to the Southern Water Tribe?"

The great white whale shark slowly nodded and began to swim south.

"Yep. I am good." Khole said, laying on the whale shark and putting her hands behind her head.


	3. Rising Tensions

"Father! Father! Excellent news! I have a-" Ischi was wheezing excitedly as she ran into the Earth King's chamber with Prince Zuko's proposal letter still held close to her heart. She stopped when she saw that her father, Bure Bei Fong, barking orders to a troop of Earthbender soldiers.

"I want all units stationed at the walls of Fire Fountain City by sundown tomorrow! If you must, entice some assistance from the Northern Water Tribe! Do whatever you need to do to get to that island quickly!" Bure was yelling to the commander of the soldiers.

"Father? What is going on at Fire Fountain City? I've never seen you so worked up before."

"The Fire Nation has done it again. They have once again ended an era of peace!" Bure seethed.

"Calm down and explain from the beginning, father. I'm sure it's not that bad."

"This morning, at the dawn of Sozin's Comet, a powerful explosion completely leveled the city of Bure Ku! Traces found at the crater tell us that the explosion was caused by a homemade bomb, but not just any bomb. A bomb of such magnitude could only be created by a Firebender!"

Ischi gasped and covered her mouth.

"The Earth Kingdom will not sit down and accept having our largest industrial city torn down, so we're retaliating by destroying one of THEIR coveted industrial cities. The Earth Kingdom has moved to war! *phew* Alright, I'm let off enough steam. What were you going to tell me? You have a what?"

Ischi had intentionally hid the proposal letter behind her back to surprise her father with it, but now she had a new reason to hide it.

"I…*cough, cough* have a cold?"

"Hm? How is that excellent news?"

"Because I…won't…have to go to the Ba Sing Se University today."

"Ah, ah, ah. Not so fast, young lady. The rest of the Earth Kingdom may be gearing for battle, but you still need to keep up on your studies. My best doctors are now in the process of fixing up some medicine, isn't that right?"

Bure's last three words were directed at an advisor standing at his throne, who bowed, then ran toward the door.

"Just stay in bed today and get some rest. A maid will bring you up some hot soup and Jasmine Dragon tea later on."

"Sir, we found this in Lady Ischi's windowsill." a guard said, holding the Fire Nation messenger hawk that was previously perched in Ischi's room. The bird was obviously upset, squawking and flapping its feathery wings all over the place.

'Darn it! Now how am I going to get me answer to Prince Zuko?' Ischi panicked.

"What should I do with it, sir?" the guard asked.

"I've got it! Send it back to New Zuko with a declaration of war against the city of Shu Jing, a domestic city. Fire Lord Houja is so considerate of HIS people, he won't take the chance and arm his defenses there, while by that time, we'll have stormed the defenseless city of Fire Fountain Island! Oho ho! Devious!" Bure plotted.

"I'll send it out." Ischi said, reaching for the opportunity that her father just gave her. "I know that messenger hawk. I made friends with it on my last trip to New Zuko. It trusts me and it'll be sure to get the message to it's proper destination. You know how devious messenger hawks are. You ask it to send something bad to New Zuko, it takes it to the Southern Water Tribe."

"Excellent, Ischi. You're my little genius! If only your great-grandmother could see you now!"

"Father, great-granny Toph was blind, remember?" Ischi joked, reaching out her arm. The guard let go of the messenger hawk and it flew onto Ischi's finger, nuzzling its head on her cheek and crooning again.

"Oh, yes, right! I forgot! Silly me! Now, send the war declaration, but don't strain yourself, please. You're sick."

"Yes, *cough, cough* yes I am. I'll get right on that war declaration."

Ischi pretended to walk slowly out of the room until she was out of sight, then she broke into a sprint. Once she reached her room, first things were first. She took the proposal letter and quickly circled 'Yes' with a fur quill. On the bottom of the letter, she wrote the words 'EVERY FIFTH WORD'

Then she grabbed a new sheet of paper and began to write rapidly. Once she was done with both letters, she tied them to the messenger hawk's legs and sent it off.

"Fly straight and true, my feathered friend! Make sure those messages gets to Prince Zuko!"

000

Kohi and Suni walked glumly up to a large, hollow stone with three entrances. All three had large gusts of wind burst forth from them, almost too powerful for even an Airbender to withstand. This large landmark was what the Eastern Air Temple knew as Windy Rock.

"How can anyone meditate in THAT?" Kohi asked.

"Ask Meiya after you apologize to her." Suni said.

Kohi steeled her nerves and walked toward the rock.

"Tell me how it goes. This wind is ruining my hair." Suni said, walking away from the rock.

Once Kohi had reached the center entrance, she was struggling to stand, let alone walk. She tried to use her Airbending to calm the winds, but they were just too powerful for her.

Kohi clutched the entrance of the rock and pulled herself in, pressing her back to the wall just inside to keep from flying out of the rock.

"Whee!" yelled a spirited, happy voice.

'That can't be Meiya. Who's in here?' Kohi asked. She opened her eyes as much as she could, and as soon as she confirmed who was in the Windy Rock with her, they widened completely, ignoring the stinging winds that were pushing them further into their sockets.

Kohi watched Meiya as she gleefully flew around on wind wings, almost impervious to the gale-force winds. Kohi almost didn't recognize the happy, cheerful expression that covered Meiya's face. She twirled around freely, and even spelled out her name in the air.

"No way!" Kohi said, louder than she had intended. Meiya stopped and looked directly at her with a look of surprise first, but then the surprise quickly gave way to rage.

"What are you doing here!" Meiya screamed.

"I just came to-" Kohi started, but a powerful gust of wind that came from Meiya lifted her into the air and threw her out of the Windy Rock.

"Why can't you leave well enough alone?" Meiya shrieked with rage again, throwing a ball of wind that sent Kohi flying further backwards.

"What do you want with me? I'm not a closed book! I don't have any secrets! THIS is me! I'm Meiya, so just leave me alone and MIND YOUR OWN BUSINESS!" Meiya yelled uncontrollably.

Even though she knew in the back of her mind that Meiya was a pacifist, Kohi couldn't help but feel the obligatory fear of death, especially when Meiya's brown 'hairrow' began to glow bright white, along with her eyes and the other blue arrow tattoos on her hands and feet.

All of a sudden, in an anticlimactic twist of fate, Meiya fell down to the ground, unconscious, and the horrible winds that whipped around ceased. Her tattoos and hairrow were still glowing, so Kohi didn't dare approach.

"Help! Someone help! Meiya knocked herself out!" Kohi yelled to whoever was around to listen.

000

On the once-small, now-larger island that held the Southern Water Tribe, a very elderly man stood at the sea, watching the red sky in the distance. A much younger woman walked up to him.

"Rodik, you've been standing here for hours. I don't think she'll come back anytime soon. She did go to find a great white whale shark, after all. That could take days, maybe weeks more."

Rodik dipped one hand in the water, then quickly took it out.

"She's coming back, with her mission succeeded." Rodik said. "By the way the water currents are moving, I'd say she'd arrived within the hour, Kandice."

"As Khole's mother, I'm supposed to be enthusiastic, but you make it very difficult. How could you possibly know that just by poking the water?" Kandice asked.

"And how good is your Waterbending, considering you haven't used it since you were a child?" Rodik asked with more than a hint a sass in his tone. "I've been Waterbending since before you were born. Since before anyone on this ice rock was born. I personally knew the great Waterbender Katara, who you know is Khole's great-grandmother."

"I know. You were the first love of her first Waterbending daughter. I'm not an idiot. I know my Waterbending history, but what's your point?"

"Khole has Katara's wits about her and has her great-granduncle Sokka's blood coursing through her veins. I believe that she can accomplish her mission, and she has. Just look. There she is, riding the great white whale shark."

Kandice looked out at the water and gasped.

"Father, you're right! There she is! Everyone! Khole has returned with her mission completed She's a full-fledged Sea Beast Pacifier!"

The rest of the village ran up to the shore, watching as the dim grey shadow in the distance grew larger. Once it got close enough, Kandice managed to head a loud shout.

"Hey, everyone! I'm back at last! Look, Master Rodik! I've tamed the whale shark!"

After about a minute of well-deserved showboating on the whale shark, she leaped off and Waterbent all the way down to earth.

"Bye, Majesty!" Khole yelled to the whale shark as it leaped into the air one last time and dove again, returning to where it came from.

"Well done, Khole. You have earned your title of Sea Beast Pacifier." Rodik said with a proud nod.

"Yes! I feel so happy that I finally finished!"

"Finished? Oho ho ho! You're not finished yet, young lady!"

"Ha?" Khole asked, her jaw dropping to the ground and shattering.

"This is just the Sea Beast Pacifier title. There are two more titles to go. Land Beast Pacifier and Sky Beast Pacifier. After you get those titles, then you'll be done."

"Aw! Well, how do I get the other titles?"

"That I cannot teach you. You must travel to the Earth kingdom to learn to tame land beast, and the Western Air Temple to learn about Sky Beast taming. Now, since me work is done, I'm going to take a long nap. If I don't wake up in three days, you know what to do."

Rodik began to slowly hobble toward his house.

"Master Rodik's got the right idea. I'm going to sleep, too." Khole said, falling backward on the snow and beginning to snore.

"You sure do have Sokka's blood." Kandice said, lifting her daughter off of the ground and carrying her back to her house.

000

Prince Zuko walked on the long wooden platform just outside the palace, watching the palace workers as they cleared the gazebo rubble. By this time, Sozin's Comet was about to complete its pass and leave for another hundred years. Zuko say on a bench and watched the sky as it slowly shifted from a bright and piercing red to purple, and then back to calming blue once again. He stood when we saw a messenger hawk fly down and alight on the bench next to him.

"Ah, my forward." Zuko said with excitement in his voice. He looked at his previous message and smiled when he saw the 'yes' circled, but frowned when he saw the words 'EVERY FIFTH WORD' written on the bottom.

"I wonder what that means." Zuko said, unraveling the other letter and frowning as he read it.

_As you read this, the Earth Kingdom plans to attack Shu Jing, for real, on tomorrow. Oh, you savage Fire Nation brutes cry a fountain of blood on the city of Ba Sing Se. Is it not that our tomorrow has no importance, but at the coming of sundown, you strike, without warn. Yes, the savagery of the dreaded, accursed, downright despicable Fire Nation. But the Fire Lord __**STOP**__ cares nothing about peace. All he wants is power._

_Well, the Earth Kingdom is sick of it. I, Ischi Bei Fong, remove myself from the war, but be warned, fair prince. Your life and our life together hangs in the balance. Remember the code, my fiancé._

Zuko had a very hard time reading and understanding the letter.

"Is this a…war declaration against Shu Jing? It's mostly complete gibberish. And what is this random 'stop'? Wait…"

Zuko looked back at the bottom of the proposal letter.

"Every fifth word."

Zuko scanned the letter again, taking out every fifth word until the letter put in 'stop'

"The attack on Fire Fountain City is tomorrow at sundown. Warn the Fire Lord." he read once he was finished. "Thank you, Ischi. I promise, I'll make this up to you."

Zuko took the paper and ran back inside the palace, just as the sun dropped below the horizon and the world went dark.

"Well, I think that it's time to pack it in for today, boys. We start construction on the new gazebo tomorrow morning." the leader of the reconstruction team told his men. They nodded and walked back into the palace.

All was quiet in the palace garden, until three dark shadows slithered up the wall and into the garden. The shadows grew up out of the ground, and Reigo, along with her two associates, took their true forms.

"Split up and locate Prince Zuko. We must make sure that he does not get that letter to the Fire Lord." Reigo ordered. Her two men nodded, then sunk back into shadows and 'swam' into the palace, taking a left right at the door. Reigo sank as well and traveled into the palace, making a right.

000

'Ugh. I feel terrible. Where am I?' Meiya thought as she woke up

'You are in my domain, young one.'

Meiya threw her eyes open and saw that she wasn't at the Eastern Air Temple any longer. She was sitting on a blanket of golden clouds. On all sides, she was surrounded by the same type of clouds. She looked around to see who had spoken.

Suddenly, almost from out of nowhere, a tall, bald man with a blue arrow tattooed on his head stepped form the clouds.

"Hello, Meiya. Do you know who I am?"

Meiya looked closely at the stranger and matched him to a large state that stood at the base of the temple.

"Avatar Aang. The greatest Avatar to date."

"Very good. Now, do you know why you are here?

"I think I freaked out about something and accidentally entered the Avatar State."

"Oh, did you ever!" Aang said with an impressed tone. "Your Avatar State is pretty well-controlled for your first time entering it, but you were still a loose cannon, so I pulled you into the spirit world before you could do harm to yourself or anybody around you."

"Thank you, I think. But what's the real reason you brought me here, great-grandfather?"

"To tell you that you are now ready to begin your Avatar training. I've heard a lot about you, Meiya. Mostly bad, however."

"I know. The jerks back at my home just don't know when to leave me alone. It's always Avatar this and Avatar that."

"Did you know that you're a special one, Meiya? You had a very unorthodox way of choosing the relics that signified that you were the Avatar.

"I can't remember that far back."

"When you were analyzed with the relic test, instead of choosing the Avatar relics, you broke every single toy that wasn't a relic. You stared at the real relics as if they were made of shining glass."

"Why bring this up?"

"It means that you may grow to be a very unorthodox Avatar. But, we'll see as time passes. Tell Naga that you have successfully entered the Avatar State and that you are ready to begin your training." Aang said, walking back into the clouds.

"Wait! There's still some stuff I want to ask you!" Meiya called, but Aang was already gone. Suddenly, the world around her began to blur, and in a flash of light, the cloud world was gone and Meiya was sitting face up in her bed.

"Ah, finally. You were asleep for seven whole hours. Sozin's Comet has left already, and it's getting close to midnight." Naga said. "You should probably go back to sleep."

"Father, did that girl tell you what happened to me?"

"She said that you passed out after screaming at her." Naga said.

"I entered the Avatar State, father. I met with Avatar Aang and even asked him a few questions. He says that I'm ready to begin my Avatar training to learn Water, Earth, and Firebending."

"That's amazing, Meiya. You can tell me all about it tomorrow morning. Now, get some rest." Naga said with a believing expression, he stood and walked out of Meiya's room.

The young Avatar turned her head toward the window, and was lulled to sleep by the twinkling stars,


	4. Approaching Convergance

Zuko ran down the palace hallway, passing a few guards on the way. It seemed as if the entire palace was playing head games with him.

"What's going on? I know this place like the back of my hand, and I'm running in circles!"

Zuko froze as he felt an icy hand stroke the back of his neck. When he looked around, he noticed that he was no longer in the palace hallway, but had found his way into a large, open room that was completely empty besides him and the person behind him touching his neck.

"Don't be afraid, little prince." the smooth female voice said. "It's not my job to kill you yet. I've just been ordered to take that little war declaration off your hands. You can trust me."

"If there's one worthwhile thing I was taught, it's that you can't trust a person who says 'Trust me.'" Zuko said.

"Aw. That's too bad." Reigo cooed as she walked around to face Zuko. Her face and body had gotten younger, so she was about Zuko's age. Her long, white hair was done up in a girlish ponytail, and her eyes were large and dull. "Are you sure there's no other way I could…entice you… to let me see that itty-bitty note?"

Reigo pressed her body against Zuko's as the words 'entice you' escaped her grinning lips.

"In case you don't know, I have a fian-"

"Ischi Bei Fong. You proposed to her earlier today."

"How do you know that?"

"I have my sources. She doesn't have to know about us. Just a one-time trade. That little note for my…services."

Reigo undid the top button of her shirt and batted her eyes.

"Look, I don't even know who you are, and I can have you arrested for trespassing on palace grounds." Zuko said stalwartly. "Not to mention I am getting married, so I am offended that you'd attempt to-"

Zuko stopped as Reigo leaned in and kissed him softly on the lips. His eyes widened momentarily, then they dulled and diluted. Zuko and Reigo held the kiss for a long time, with Reigo stroking Zuko's hair, and Zuko caressing Reigo's hips, against his own will of course. Reigo reached for the note that Zuko's grip was steadily loosening on.

"Lady Reigo, we've searched the entire palace but we haven't found-" started a man as he entered the room with another man, but stopped when he saw what was going on.

Zuko's eyes became sharp again and he pushed Reigo away, clutching the note tighter.

"You idiots! I almost had it!" Reigo yelled, glaring daggers at her two teammates.

"I-I apologize, milady." the man said.

"I'll think of a suitable punishment later."

"Evil succubus!" Zuko spat. "You made me betray my betrothed! You will pay!"

Bestowed with a new energy from his rage, Zuko charged and fired a large fireball at Reigo.

The snowy-haired Shadowbender swept her hand in front of her and her shadow rose into the air and swept in front of her, absorbing the fire like a black hole absorbed light.

Zuko fired several more fireballs in quick succession. Reigo quickly sunk into the floor, turning into a shadow. The fireballs hit the floor and scorched it, but the shadow was not touched.

"Silly Zuko. You cannot harm shadows." Reigo said, slithering across the ground and spiraling up Zuko's leg. "But, the shadows can most definitely harm you."

Zuko gasped at the clammy, oily feel of the shadow against his skin. The clammy feel turned as rough and gritty as sandpaper, when Reigo reached his neck and froze.

"Drop the note, Zuko. I don't want to do this." Reigo said.

"You're bluffing. You said yourself that you couldn't kill me." Zuko croaked.

"Who said I was going to kill you?" Reigo asked, becoming fluid and clammy again on Zuko's neck. She slid up his chin and passed between his lip, sliding down his throat.

"Ack! Get out of me!" Zuko yelled. His stomach began to rumble, then a spike of pain flashed through his intestines.

"Your guts are fun to twist and churn." Reigo said with an evil tone. Zuko clutched his stomach and fell to the ground, the pain in his stomach intensifying. Zuko was actually afraid that he would black out.

"Somebody…help me…" Zuko wheezed.

"Sorry, Zuko. But there's nobody around to hear you scream. Now, drop the note or it'll get really messy in here."

"I'll…never give up this note."

"Suit yourself, little prince." Reigo said.

Around Zuko, the shadows of everything that had a shadow rose off of the ground like paper and became three-dimensional blobs of oily slime. The shadow blobs flew into Zuko's mouth and he was forced to swallow them. They tasted like acid and felt like razor blades falling down Zuko's throat.

The shadow blobs didn't sit well in his stomach. All of the shadow substance began to churn and spin around, causing Zuko much pain.

He began to pant, his vision fading.

"Please…please stop!"

"Put the note down and your pain will end."

"Alright. I'll give you the war declaration! Just get out of me!" Zuko screamed, throwing the note on the ground in front of him.

His stomach lurched, and Zuko proceeded to throw up all of the shadows that flew into his mouth. The acid taste lingered in his mouth, but Zuko was relieved to have it out of his stomach. The last shadow to slide out of his mouth circled the ground in front of him, then rose to form Reigo.

"Thank you for understanding, young prince." Reigo said, grabbing the letter. She glanced out of the window and saw that the sun was beginning to rise.

"We must depart. I apologize again for resorting to such draconian methods, but I promise that you won't regret this in the future." Reigo said as she shoved the letter in her pocket and sunk into a shadow with her two partners, slinking out of the window and into the diminishing darkness again.

"'I won't regret it in the future.' Ha! I don't regret it now." Zuko said, taking another sheet of paper from his pocket. It was the war declaration.

"I wonder what that crazy witch will do when she realizes that she took my proposal letter." Zuko said, standing and trying to walk. He was far too tired to trudge all the way to his father's chamber, so he just stopped at his room and painfully crawled into his huge bed. He closed his eyes and sleep overcame him instantly.

000

"Zuzu… Zuzu… Wake up, Zuzu…"

Zuko slowly opened his eyes and met the four golden glowing eyes of his adopted twin sisters.

"Wake up, Zuzu! You've been sleeping all day!" one young girl yelled, shaking Zuko's head.

"Twi, Su Li. What do you two want?" Zuko asked sleepily.

"You missed breakfast, and Mommy told us to wake you up so you didn't miss lunch."

"Tell 'Mommy' that I'm not feeling well right now." Zuko said.

"Alright, fine. But we're not bringing you any soup or crackers." Su Li said, jumping off of Zuko's bed and running out of the room with Twi following.

'Why do I feel like I'm forgetting something?' he thought as he laid his head back on his pillow. His eyes shot open as he realized what it was.

'The note! I completely forgot!'

Zuko looked around and didn't see the note anywhere.

'Did Reigo come back and take it while I was sleeping? Oh, man! This is horrible! Now Father won't know about the Fire Fountain City attack!'

000

"Hey, Twi, what'cha got there?" Su Li asked her twin sister as they walked down the hall.

"I found this on Zuko's floor. It's from the Earth Kingdom and it's weird. It's from this girl named Ischi Bei Fong and it says something about Shu Jing." Twi said.

"Lemme see." Su Li said, taking the paper from Twi's hand. She gasped as she read it.

"Dum-dum! This is a war declaration against the Fire Nation. We have to tell Daddy about this now!" Su Li said, breaking into a sprint.

"Daddy, daddy!" Su Li called as she entered the Fire Lord's chamber.

"Yes, girls? What is it?" Houja asked.

"We found a war declaration against Shu Jing from the Earth Kingdom!"

"What? Let me see it." Houja said. Su Li gave him the note and Houja frowned as he read it.

"Bure must be trying to confuse me by using his daughter to write total gibberish. We have to get you two and Zuko out of the city."

"Why do we have to leave?"

"Shu Jing is in close proximity to the capital. If they seize that city, the next stop will most definitely be New Zuko."

"Well, where are we going to go?"

"Fire Fountain City is the best place. It's mostly industry and they'll never think to look for the Fire Lord and his family in an industrial metropolis." Houja said. "Go alert your mother and your brother. We're leaving as soon as we can."

The twins nodded and ran off. Houja gathered what few things he had in the chamber and exited as well, toward his private quarters.

000

"Zuzu! Zuzu! Zuzu! Zuzu!" Su Li screamed in Zuko's ear.

"What? What do you want?" Zuko yelled back.

"Guess what! We're going on war vacation!"

"War what?"

"Daddy says to keep us safe from the mean Earth Kingdom, we're going on vacation."

"Going…where, exactly?"

"Fire Fountain City!"

'Oh, hell no.' Zuko thought, his jaw falling to the floor.

"Is Father sure that FFC is a good choice to go?"

"He said that it's perfect. And we're leaving ASAP, so get ready and get all of your essentials!"

Su Li poked Zuko's nose, then ran out of the room again.

'Oh no. This is bad. This is very bad.' Zuko thought. 'I can't tell Father not to go to FFC or he'll get suspicious and ask me about it, and without either note, I can't hold up my claim. I guess all I can do for now is let the chips fall as they may. I have a bad feeling about this.'

Zuko reluctantly began to pack up his things.

000

Meiya walked with her father, Naga toward a large, wooden building. Meiya could hear chattering from within the building. When she entered, she looked around with interest at the flying .

"This is the flying lemur nursery. Whenever Air Nomads begin traveling, it has become tradition for them to take an animal companion, and since the Sky Bison have become extinct, the new norm is to take flying lemurs." Naga explained.

"But how will I travel?" Meiya asked.

"All will be explained in due time. Right now, you need to choose a lemur to travel with you."

Meiya looked around at the lemurs flying around and chattering at her. One in particular caught her eye. It was perched on a branch that jutted inside the building, staring right at her.

"I think I want that one." she said, pointing at the lemur.

"Once again, showing traits of the Avatar. That lemur in particular is a direct descendant of Momo, Avatar Aang's flying lemur."

"Interesting. No wonder I felt attached to it." Meiya said. The lemur that she chose flew and landing on Meiya's shoulder, licking her face. Meiya smiled.

"Stop it. That tickles." she said.

"Hey, you smiled." Naga said.

"Hm?"

"That was the first time I've seen you smile in a long time, Meiya."

"Really? I didn't even notice."

"Our next step is giving you the Sky Bison." Naga said, turning and walking out of the lemur nursery with Meiya tagging close behind. While she walked, she talked to the lemur.

"I think I'll name you Kisi." she said, tickling its head. Afterwards, she began to think about what her father had said only moments ago.

"Sky Bison? You said that they were extinct."

"You'll see what I mean soon."

Meiya and Naga entered another building, and the young Avatar gasped.

"Is that-"

"An airship. Your airship."

Meiya stared at the large wooden contraption sitting before her. It had four, thick landing gears on each corner of it. The 'head' was almost cone-shaped, with two horns emerging from near the top of it and an arrow extending from the top of the cone to the tip. The body was bulky in build with the airship controls on its back, there was also a storage hatch that led inside the ship. The rear of the airship had a large, flexible 'tail' with holes on the under side and topside of the tails.

"This is the Sky Bison. It's a powerful airship designed after the animal guide of Avatar Aang, but many times as powerful. It's yours."

"This is amazing!" Meiya said, jumping onto the airship's back and admiring it's design and features.

"When do you want to leave to learn Waterbending?"

"Immediately! I can go right now!"

"Hm hm. I thought that you'd say that. You must travel to the Northern Water Tribe. The very fact that you're there will tell the tribe everything. I'm sure that you'll find a Waterbending teacher there."

"Thank you, Father! Thank you so much! But, when will I see you again?"

"Once you finish your training and end the growing feud between the Earth Kingdom and the Fire Nation. We'll welcome you back with open arms."

"Thank you once again. Goodbye, father." Meiya said, climbing onto the Sky Bison and jumping at the controls. She found that the flight controls were more simple than she thought. Once she got the handle of it, the pulled the flight clutch back, causing a blast of air to shoot from the holes on the bottom of the tail and making the Sky Bison lift up.

Using a wooden joystick, Meiya was able to direct the wooden airship outside and lift it higher into the air.

"Ah! How exhilarating!" Meiya said.

"I'll say." said a familiar voice. "Oops!"

Meiya squinted, then stuck the clutch in autopilot and walked back toward the storage hatch.

"Kohi!" she scolded, throwing the hatch open to find her own personal annoyance sitting in the hatch and smiling at her.

"Sorry, Meiya, but I just had to make all of my mistakes up to you. So I'm tagging along, to owe you."

"I didn't ask you to do that! You can't join me on this!"

"Well, you can't save the world alone! Avatar Aang didn't!"

Meiya thought for a moment. "I'm stuck with you, aren't I?"

"Yep!" Kohi said with a cheesy grin.

Meiya sighed and too the controls again.

"Just don't bug me too much. The only reason that I'm not pitching you off of this thing is because I'm in a really good mood."

"Yay!" Kohi said, climbing out of the storage hatch and looking over the side of the Sky Bison.

"The sunrise is pretty."

"Hm. It is, isn't it?" Meiya said.

000

Khole was riding on the back of the great white whale shark again, northbound.

"The Earth Kingdom City of Omashu, where I can start learning to tame land beasts, Master Rodik says. Did'ya hear that, Majesty?"

The whale shark moaned and nodded its head as it swam.

"Now, according to this map, I'll have to cross the Fire Nation city of Fire Fountain in order to find the Omashu mainland. I hope the natives are friendly." Khole said as she relaxed on Majesty's back.


	5. The Meeting of the New Gaang

-Eighteen hours earlier-

Midnight had fallen in the palace of Ba Sing Se, and Ischi had far since fallen into a deep sleep. Of course, Earth Kingdom guards were stationed right outside Ischi's door, and her window was locked. But a persistent shadow that was crawling around outside found its way into Ischi's room through an airy crack.

The shadow stopped at Ischi's bed and rose. Reigo had dropped the teenager look and opted to use her adult form this time, a scowling adult form. She slowly pulled the covers off of Ischi's sleeping body and grabbed her shoulder.

The Earth Kingdom princess's eyes shot open.

"Go ahead and scream. Make my day." Reigo whispered. Ischi kept silent and frightened.

"W-What are you going to do t-to me?" she eventually whispered

"Come on, honey. We're going on a little trip."

"A t-trip? Where?"

"Where else? Fire Fountain City."

Ischi would've had a heart attack right then, but her heart was too frightened to attack anything. Every nerve in her body told her to scream for help, but she knew that it'd be for naught.

"But that's all the way across the ocean, and there's going to be a big battle there pretty soon."

"I know that. Why do you think I'm taking you there?"

Ischi was too scared to use logic.

"I'm going to make sure you die there." Reigo hissed.

"Why not kill me here?" Ischi asked, hoping she wouldn't grab at that bait.

"Because I'm not supposed to do the killing. All I'm supposed to do is make sure that history runs its correct course."

"What does that mean?"

"Just shut up and get out of bed."

Ischi complied and slowly climbed out of bed.

All of a sudden, Ischi hatched a plan and tapped her heel twice on the stone floor as she got up.

"Lady Ischi? Were those your vibrations?" a guard asked as he and his partner entered her room. Then their eyes fell on Reigo.

"Intruder!"

Reigo quickly stepped to ward the two guards and placed both hands on their faces.

All of a sudden, Reigo's hands turned jet-black, and veins of inky shadows began to crawl from her hands to the faces and bodies of the Earthbenders until they were completely pitch-black.

"What are you doing?" Ischi squealed as silently as she could.

"What does it look like? I'm turning them into shadows." Reigo said. "And now I'm absorbing the shadows."

The human-shaped 3D shadows lost their form and just became shadow blobs, which began to flow into Reigo's hands until there was no trace of the Earthbenders.

"You only get one of those, kid. Next time you try something funny, you can kiss your feet goodbye." Reigo said, grabbing Ischi's nightshirt and sinking into the ground with her. It was a strange feeling for Ischi. It felt as if she was underwater, but completely dry at the same time.

Reigo's shadow 'swam' around the room until it found the same crack that she had entered through, sidled down the wall of the palace, then slithered through the streets until they had reached the Great Wall of Ba Sing Se. Reigo's two associates were waiting on top of the wall.

"Let's go. I've got the girl and we've only got a couple of hours to cross to Fire Fountain City, which is miles away." Reigo said to them.

"What are you people?" Ischi asked from within the shadow.

"We are the Shadowbenders, and we control this war." Reigo said menacingly as the two other Shadowbenders sunk into shadows and the three raced down the wall and across the sand.

000

A pit of apprehension grew in Zuko's chest as he looked out the window of the Fire Lord's makeshift vacation home and noticed the sun beginning to droop in the sky.

'Any hour now, the Earth Kingdom could attack and it'll be because of my negligence.' he thought.

"Prince Zuko? What's the matter?" Houja asked, placing a hand on his son's shoulder.

"I'm just worried about all those people in Shu Jing." Zuko lied.

"Don't worry, son. I've stationed all of my best men in Shu Jing and the residents have been evacuated to the emergency underground chamber, made completely out of carbon."

"Well, that's great! I guess there's nothing to worry about, then." Zuko said, trying really hard to break the conversation.

"Zuko, do you think you could do me a favor? Can you go out and find your sisters? They went to go explore the city and they haven't come back yet."

"Sure." Zuko said, walking outside and looking around. The sun had sunk lower in the sky and the apprehension pit only grew larger.

"I'd better find the twins quickly."

Zuko walked around the city, looking around for Twi and Su Li, but also taking the time to admire the architecture and the culture of Fire Fountain City.

Zuko was so entranced by the beauty of the city that he eventually forgot about the twins and the impending invasion. He was attracted to the center of the town by the sound of music.

Zuko stopped to watch the beautiful exotic dancers performing to percussion and wind instruments on a stage that was built in front of a re-rendered statue that was formerly of Phoenix King Ozai, but was rebuilt in the image of Zuko's great-grandfather, his namesake. He took a couple of gold coins from his pocket and placed them in the tip bowl. The dancers smiled at him, then continued their performance.

Zuko noted the dancers' apparel. They were wearing see-thru sheets of cloth over their faces and a larger one around their waist that extending only mid-thigh. They wore Fire Nation bikinis that matched the color of the cloths.

After about a minute, the dancers parted, and two more dancers that were almost completely similar in appearance came out of the curtains backstage.

'Wow. Those two look more beautiful than all the rest. But why do they seem so familiar?' Zuko thought, placing another gold coin in the tip bowl.

"Hey, it's Zuzu!" one of the new dancers said. Zuko recognized the voice.

"Twi?"

"Come dance with us, Zuzu! Come dance with us!" said the other dancer, who was obviously Su Li.

The twins grabbed Zuko and stood him up, dancing in a circle around him.

"What are you two doing here, dancing? In those outfits? What did I miss in the four hours you were gone?"

"Well, Zuzu," Twi started as she took the lead, grabbing Zuko's hand and twirling him around her. "Su Li and I were scampering around the city, when we saw this guy crying and murmuring 'My career is over! My life is over! Boo hoo!' Well, as it turns out, he was the director of the annual Fire Fountain ritual dance celebration and his two stars called in sick. Being pretty skilled dancers ourselves, we happily volunteered, and one thing led to another, and here we are!"

"So, what was your day like, Zuzu?" Su Li said as Twi 'passed' the lead dancing onto her.

"I've been walking around looking for you. How soon can you two come home?"

"The celebration just started." Twi pouted.

'Argh! This is so frustrating!' Zuko thought. He had barely noticed, but Zuko had begun to dance with Twi and Su Li naturally. He was confused at the wolf whistles that were starting to rise until Su Li whispered in his ear.

"Um, Zuzu? Could you back up just a step? People are starting to get the wrong idea."

Zuko looked down and noticed that he had unintentionally pressed his chest to Su Li's.

"Sorry." Zuko said, backing up. He froze again when something soft and plushy pressed on his back.

"Ooh! Naughty brother!" Twi cooed, and Zuko realized that he had backed up right into Twi's chest. The wolf whistles only got louder.

"Gotcha, Zuzu! You're so easy!" Su Li laughed. The Fire Prince blushed.

"Girls, we seriously need to get out of here. Father is worried."

"Tell him we got jobs. He'll let us stay here forever." Twi joked.

"Girls, you don't understand-" Zuko started, but he stopped when the ground began to shake.

"Oops!"

"Waah!"

"Hey!"

All three sibling toppled over onto one another, with Twi pressing her chest into Zuko's neck, and Zuko pressing his face into Su Li's chest.

"You're too close again, Zuko." Su Li said with a smile. Twi got up and shook her head to clear the stars, and Zuko lifted his head and took a deep breath, his face turning from purple back to its original light shade. Su Li got up last.

"I'm SO sorry, Su!" Zuko quickly apologized, helping his adopted sister to her feet. All around them, even louder wolf whistles and cheers erupted from the naive crowd.

"It's alright. Since we aren't blood-related, I don't feel uncomfortable at all." Su Li said.

The ground began to shake again, and Zuko tried his best to keep his balance.

'Oh no! It's starting!' Zuko thought frantically when he saw that the sun had almost completely sunk below the earth. In the distance, Zuko saw that Earthbenders were running down the side of the mountain, throwing large rocks down on the city.

"They're invading here? I thought they were taking over Shu Jing!" Su Li chattered with fear.

"Beats the heck out of me! Let's run!" Zuko lied, grabbing the twins and running down one of the many corridors of the city.

"Which way! Which way!" Su Li asked in a horrible panic.

"Let's split up!" Twi suggested

"No! We have to stick together and get home!" Zuko said, grabbing Twi's shoulders before she could run off.

"So which way?"

"Uh, to the left!"

Zuko, Twi, and Su Li were about to run down the left passage, but an Earthbent rock flew through the air and blocked that passage.

"Alrighty then, to the right!"

The trio ran down the right passage before anything else could happen.

000

Reigo's shadow, along with the two other shadows of the unknown Shadowbenders drifted onto dry land and rose.

"What are you going to do to me?" Ischi asked.

"I'M not going to do anything. I'll let those nice Earthbenders decide your fate." Reigo said, touching Ischi's head. Black, shadowy veins crawled from Reigo's finger again, but instead of turning Ischi into a shadow, it changed her clothing.

"Why did you give me Fire Nation clothing?" Ischi asked. She put two and two together in her mind and gasped. "No! Please don't leave me here to be killed!" she pleaded.

Reigo turned her hand into shadow again and formed an oily blob in her hand, throwing it on the ground.

The blob twisted and churned until it formed a fake scorched Earthbender's body.

"What is that?"

"You'll see in a moment. But first," Reigo started, tapping several places on Ischi's arms and legs.

"What did you do?"

"Like I just said, you'll see. Ciao." Reigo said before turning into a shadow again and slithering away with her two cronies.

Ischi heard a gasp and turned around to see the horror-stricken face of another Earthbender, whose eyes were on the shadow mannequin. His face twisted in rage and he flung several large rocks at Ischi, who was just barely able to dodge them. She tried to Earthbend, but was only able to kick up a small clod of dust.

'She pressure-blocked my Earthbending!' Ischi realized, remembering the taps that Reigo performed on her limbs. 'Nobody who can help me knows where I am! (A/N: Hint, hint.) I'm going to die!'

000

High in the sky on the small, wooden, mechanical airship known as the Sky Bison, Meiya looked ahead, staying true to northbound. Kohi was looking over the edge of the airship. She gasped as they passed over the island that housed Fire Fountain City.

"Hey, Meiya! There's a battle going on down there! Lot's of fire and rocks flying around."

Meiya looked over the edge and squinted when she confirmed what Kohi was saying.

"Hold on tight." she said before pushing the flight clutch back up. Jets of air shot out of the topside holes on the airship's tail and Meiya turned the control joystick to the left, causing a sharp, quick descent straight toward the island.

000

"There's the house!" Twi called as she, Su Li, and Zuko ran through the maze of streets. Su Li and Twi picked up the pace and ran into the house, but before Zuko could enter, he turned back toward the city at the sound of a faint scream. He looked toward where the scream was coming from and spotted a girl wearing Fire Nation clothes being chased by Earthbenders. When he focused on the girl, Zuko almost couldn't believe what he was seeing.

"Ischi…"

"Prince Zuko! What are you doing! Come inside and pack up quickly! We have to leave now!" Houja called.

Zuko ignored him and closed the door behind him, running down the street again toward where Ischi was running for her life.

"Zuko!" Houja called after him, but of course, Zuko didn't stop or turn around.

000

Ischi was getting tired, but the enraged Earthbender chasing her didn't seem to be letting up at all. She was about to keep straight, passing a side alley, but another Earthbender suddenly appeared before her.

Ischi skidded to a stop and, thinking quickly, dove down the side alley.

"I've got you now!" the Earthbender sneered, stomping on the ground. The entire ground that lined the alleyway suddenly exploded, sending Ischi flying forward. The alleyway led into the center of town, and Ischi flew into the statue, smashing it head on. The blow knocked her unconscious instantly. Think she was dead, the Earthbender turned and walked away.

From another area of the city, a stray rock was lobbed through the air and struck the statue's head, causing it to lean back and begin to topple over, threatening to crush Ischi and kill her for real.

Mere moments before a fatal accident, two swirling typhoons of air caught the statue.

Meiya and Kohi had appeared and used their Airbending to create a small, steady whirlwind that kept the statue from crushing Ischi. Moment's later, Zuko appeared, running down the street toward the statue. He and Meiya locked eyes for a swift moment.

"That girl behind us is hurt. Can you resuscitate her?" Kohi asked Zuko to break the silence.

Zuko nodded and ran to Ischi's side, pushing on her chest to try to revive her.

Meiya began to grunt, as the weight of the statue was beginning to be too much to bear.

"Man, I could REALLY use the Avatar State right about now!" she strained to say.

"I'll say." Kohi seconded.

Eventually, the power of the windstorms was overshadowed by the weight of the statue and it slowly began to fall again, threatening to crush all four of them.

"Never fear! Khole is here!" yelled an eccentric voice. Meiya looked behind her and saw someone sprinting forward at a breakneck speed, jumping up and springing off of the back of Meiya's airship.

Khole used her Waterbending to pull a stream of liquid from the pouch on her side and used it as a lasso, twirling it and throwing it at the statue's head to wrap around it.

When Khole landed on the ground, she broke the earth underneath her to such an extent that she could have easily passed as a bona fide Earthbender. Using her immense strength, she began to tug hard at the water lasso, assisting Meiya and Kohi in lifting the statue back to its original position.

"Whew! Two minutes on the mainland and I've already gotten a good workout!" Khole said, stretching her arms.

Meiya wiped the sweat from her brow and looked back at Zuko and Ischi.

The Fire Prince had already proceeded in mouth-to-mouth, but Ischi was still not awakening.

"Come on, wake up! You can't die!" Zuko pleaded.

"Do you know this girl? You seem to care a lot for her." Kohi said.

"She's my fiancé." Zuko said.

"Stand back. I can assess the situation." Khole said walking up and leaning beside Ischi. "That's a pretty serious head injury. Airbender! We need to get some blood to her brain. Start pumping some air into her lungs."

Kohi nodded and flexed her hands, directing a steady stream into Ischi's lungs.

"Other Airbender! I need an air bubble!"

Meiya nodded and blew a spinning bubble of air over Ischi's body. Khole took a small slab of stone from the ground where she broke it.

"Firebender! Superheat this air bubble!"

Zuko blew a cloud of fire into the bubble and the air began to spin faster.

"Other Airbender, lower the bubble to the Earthbender's chest." Khole commanded as she undid Ischi's clothes.

Meiya nodded and lowered the warming cloud to Ischi's now-bare chest.

"I'm going to supercool the superheated air bubble and create electricity to try to get her heart going again." Khole said, blowing icy mist into the air bubble. "Clear!"

Electricity flashed through the bubble and through Ischi, causing her chest to jump.

"Firebender!" Khole said. Zuko superheated the air bubble again, and Khole blew icy mist into it to follow. "Clear!"

The young Earthbender's chest leaped again.

Ischi suddenly coughed, breathing out the stream of air that Kohi was pumping into her lungs. She flickered her eyes open.

"Zuko…Did you…save me?" she asked.

"Well…"

"Yes, he did. If it wasn't for Zuko you probably wouldn't have made it through." Khole said.

"Oh, thank you! Thank you, Zuko!" Ischi said, sitting up and hugging the blushing Fire Prince.

"We have to get out of here." Meiya said.

"But you're the Avatar! You're supposed to handle conflicts like this!" Kohi protested

"If I can't keep a statue from crushing someone on my own power, I probably won't be much use here. Besides, look around you. The battle is ending and the Earthbenders won this fight. There's nothing much more we can do."

Kohi was silent. And Khole had a sudden epiphany.

"Did you say that his name was Zuko? As in Prince Zuko, great-grandson of Fire Lord Zuko, friend and ally of Avatar Aang?"

"Who is MY great-grandfather." Meiya stepped in.

"No way! We're distant sisters! I'm Katara's great-granddaughter, which would make me Aang's, too! Let me guess! Ischi, is you last name Bei Fong?"

"Yes." Ischi said, putting her shirt back on.

"You must be Toph's descendant!"

"And I must be chopped liver." Kohi murmured to herself.

"This is so totally awesome! The Gaang: Next Generation! That would've been a good title for this story." Khole said.

"Huh?"

"Never mind. This is still awesome!"

"Can we talk about how awesome this is on the Sky Bison? We have to get going." Meiya said.

"Sure! Sure! Let's go!" Khole said, running toward the wooden contraption with the other four trailing slowly behind.


	6. Roadblock

The sun had given way to darkness over the ocean as the Gaang flew in the Sky Bison.

"So, where is everybody going?" Meiya asked.

"Huh? What do you mean? We go where you go!" Khole said.

"Let me rephrase that. Where am I dropping you off?"

"What?" Kohi asked.

"Why? It's always been my dream to travel with the Avatar like my great-Gran-Gran did!"

"Can you teach me Waterbending?" Meiya asked, turning her head to Khole.

"Well, not really, but-"

"I have no need to carry around dead weight."

"But I'm not dead weight!"

"Can you teach me W-"

"Meiya, can't you be nice and considerate of others for once?" Kohi stepped in. "Isn't that what an Avatar was meant to do?"

"I'm not an Avatar yet. Right now, I'm just a glorified Airbender, like Aang was when he started his life. Don't say it's not true."

"But Aang had help."

"Yes, he did. Katara taught him Waterbending. Toph taught him Earthbending. Zuko taught him Firebending. Even Sokka taught Aang physical combat outside of Bending. None of you can do that for me, so I have no use for you."

Zuko opened his mouth to protest, but Kohi interrupted him.

"You're the most selfish Avatar ever!"

"Not true. Avatar Qui was the most selfish Avatar ever. All I'm doing is keeping my priorities centered. Now, I'll ask one more time. Where am I dropping everybody off?"

"I'm…going to Omashu." Khole said sadly. She looked back up at Meiya and brightened when she saw Kisi perched on her shoulder.

"Ooh! A flying lemur! I can practice my Beast Pacification."

"Beast what?"

"It's a special type of Energybending that Avatar Aang taught the other three Nations. It uses a special sort of energy wavelength to 'bend' the creature you're trying to pacify. If it works, the creature will be your friend, but if it doesn't, it might get aggressive." Khole explained, crawling up to Kisi.

She touched one finger to the small animal's head and sent a pulse of the blue, calming energy into Kisi. The lemur's fur bristled and it screeched, leaping onto Khole's face.

"Help, help! Get it off me!"

Meiya didn't move, so Kohi helped the distressed Waterbender. She tickled Kisi's back and his fur fell flat again. Kisi jumped off of Khole and licked Kohi's face.

"Ah! So the soft spot is the small of its back! Alright, let me try this again."

"What makes you believe that the same energy wavelength used to pacify a Sea Beast would work on a Sky Beast?" Meiya asked with a matter-of-fact tone.

"Oh, right." Khole said, embarrassed.

After about thirty more minutes, Meiya looked over the side of the Sky Bison.

"Alright. Here we are at Omashu."

"Bye, Meiya! Maybe I'll see you later!" Khole said, waving and jumping off the side of the airship. Kohi and Meiya looked over the side and saw that Khole had used her Waterbending to make a liquid parachute.

"Well, at least I don't have to land." Meiya said, pulling the flight clutch and causing the Sky Bison to rise higher into the air.

"So where are you two going?" Meiya asked and she turned an eye to where Zuko and Ischi were. "I'm assuming you're both going to the same place?"

Ischi shook her head. "I have to get back to Ba Sing Se. I'm sure my father is very worried about me."

"I don't know where I'm going."

"Sorry, Zuko, but that's not an answer." Meiya said.

"I don't know where my family has relocated."

"How about I just drop you off at New Zuko and someone can alert the Fire Lord that the Avatar has rescued his son?"

"That would work." Zuko agreed.

Meiya nodded and looked at the horizon, noticing that it had finally become completely dark. Nighttime had fallen on the world.

000

After an hours more of flying, Meiya smiled as she saw that she was flying over Ba Sing Se's Great Wall.

"I'm guessing that the largest building would be the palace?" Meiya asked Ischi.

She nodded. "When will I see you again, my prince?" she asked Zuko.

"I don't know, my princess. Hopefully soon." Zuko answered sadly.

Meiya landed the Sky Bison right outside the palace's front door.

"Stay here, you two. I'll be right back." Meiya said to Kohi and Zuko. "I have to talk to the Earth King."

The guards stepped aside as the Avatar and the Earth Princess walked up to the palace's front door. The doors opened into an excruciatingly long hallway, that had all sorts of branches to other wings of the palace.

At the end of the hallway was an extravagant door that, of course, led into the Earth King's private chamber.

"Ischi! Oh! My beautiful daughter has returned to me! A thousand thank-you's, o great Avatar! Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank-"

"It's quite alright." Meiya interrupted. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I'll be leaving."

Meiya turned and was about to walk out of the chamber doors, but she stopped as she had a sudden suspicious realization.

"How did you know that I was the Avatar?"

King Bure winced, as if he did something wrong. "Um, well, wh-who else could you be?"

"An Airbender who found your lost daughter. What would make you think that I was the Avatar?"

"W-W-Well, it's just that she told me that you- Oops!"

"What? Who told you what?"

King Bure bit on his clothing and began to sweat.

"Father? What is going on?" Ischi demanded.

"Alright! I confess! I was told by this dark-dressed, white-haired woman that the Avatar would arrive with my daughter if I agreed afterwards to capture her! If not, she said that Ischi would be killed!"

"How would this 'white-haired woman' know that I was arriving?"

"I-I-I don't know! I was so stricken with grief that I wasn't thinking straight!"

"Uh huh. And exactly how many Earthbenders are waiting right outside that door to seize me?"

"Seven…" Bure said, laying his head on the arm of his chair. He then rose his head and screamed at the door.

"Guards!"

Suddenly, the doors burst open and just as King Bure said, seven Earthbender guards came in with stones raised.

"Father! How could you!" Ischi yelled.

"I'm sorry, daughter." Bure said sadly. "Guards! Arrest the Avatar!"

The seven guard circled around Meiya so that she couldn't escape. Meiya put her hands in the air to surrender, then dropped them down again and used a burst of wind to fly into the air, above the heads of the guards, then out of the door.

Meiya tried to run, but a large stone to the back sent her to the ground hard.

'Don't black out…Don't black out…Don't black out…' Meiya thought as her eyeballs wobbled in their sockets.

The shock of the blow rendered her paralyzed for several precious moments, but as the Earthbenders grabbed Meiya's arms, a ball of wind flew through the air and exploded, sending Meiya flying forward and the Earthbenders flying backwards.

"Kohi!" Meiya said as she slowly tried to get up. "I never thought I'd say this, but thank goodness you're here!"

"Anytime, Avatar! Now, let's go!"

Kohi helped Meiya to her feet and they both bolted for the palace doors.

"We're almost there!" Kohi called.

Suddenly, a wall of stone rose in front of the door, then behind Kohi and Meiya trapping them in a small, encased area.

"Air Dragon?" Kohi asked, thinking quickly.

"Air Dragon." Meiya nodded.

Kohi and Meiya closed their eyes and faced each other, extending their hands so that they were only inches apart.

The air around them began to hum, and a ball of pulsating wind began to for between the two Airbenders. Once the wind ball was powerful enough, Meiya and Kohi snapped their eyes open and launched the wind ball forward. As the ball flew through the air, the front part of it began to take the form of a dragon's face.

The Air Dragon exploded when it came into contact with the wall. The force was so powerful that the door behind the wall exploded as well.

"Yes! We're home-" Kohi started as they ran out of the palace.

She gasped when she saw Zuko laying on the ground where the Sky Bison used to be, clutching his stomach in agony.

"She…she pumped my stomach with shadows again… Then she took the airship…" Zuko whispered painfully.

Meiya looked up in the sky and saw her airship flying off. She growled when she saw that Reigo was at the controls, waving at them. She was prepared to jump up and fly after her on her own power, but suddenly, the rocks under her rose and clamped on her and Kohi's feet. Stone shackles rose out of the ground and tethered Zuko's waist, wrists, and ankles to the ground as well.

'No! It can't end like this! Come on, Avatar State!'

Meiya squeezed her eyes shut, but the Avatar State never came. She sighed and surrendered to the Earthbending guards.

000

Khole parachuted all the way down to the front gate of Omashu and talked to the Earthbenders at the front gate.

"Hi! I'm Khole! I was sent here by-"

"Master Rodik of the Southern Water Tribe. We've been told by Master Ku Taro to keep an eye out for you. Come with us." one Earthbender said.

Khole smiled and followed the two Earthbenders to a stone building. When she saw the variety of exotic creature that were walking around the building, she knew immediately that it was an animal sanctuary.

She walked in an d smiled at the elderly man that was inside.

"You must be Master Ku Taro!" she said.

"And you must be Khole." the man said with a stronger voice that Khole was expecting. "I've heard a lot about you from Rodik. Come on in, and we can begin our-"

"Master Taro! Is Khole here?" asked a panting man dressed in Water Tribe garbs.

"Yes. What is the matter?"

"Khole! The Northern Water Tribe is in trouble! We need all the Waterbenders we can get!"

Khole looked at the man, then at Ku, then at the man again.

"Go on, Khole. We can resume your lessons when you return. Your tribe needs you." Ku Taro said with a smile.

Khole nodded and followed the Water Tribe man out of the door.

000

"You locked them away? Father, how could you do that?" Ischi screamed at King Bure.

"To help the Avatar! Sweetie, just listen. I can call in the best Waterbenders, Earthbenders, and the young Firebending gentleman we arrested can probably teach her the Firebending basics at least. Once she learns the other three elements, she can help us crush the Fire Nation."

"Wait, what? What Firebending gentleman?"

"A young man with golden brown eyes and sort of messy hair. He was with the Avatar."

"Zuko! You arrested my f-f-friend!" Ischi yelled, catching herself before she could say fiancé, but 'friend' wasn't much better.

"You're friends with a Firebender? Ischi, how could you?"

"How could I what? I like him and he likes me! In fact, I LOVE him! What's wrong with that?"

"In case you've forgotten, we're at WAR with the Fire Nation. You can't be friends with a Firebender. All he's going to do is break your heart!"

"No he's not! Now release the Avatar! This is not how it's supposed to work out!"

"I'm sorry, Ischi. I love you very much, and you know I'd do almost anything for you, but this is one of those things that I just can't do."

"Ugh! I HATE you!" Ischi screamed, stomping off.

"I'll remember that on your next birthday!" King Bure called after her. "You'll get one less present from me! Then you'll only have 999!"

Bure sighed and walked down one hallway in his palace, toward a jailing room.

"So, are you comfortable, Avatar?" he asked Meiya, who was sitting in a cushy, spongy cell adjacent to Zuko and Kohi's metal cell. Meiya had a queen-sized bed in her cell with a goose-down comforter, and Kohi and Zuko had metal slabs hanging from ceiling chains, not a comforter in sight. Before Meiya was a vegetarian platter piled with all sorts of exotic vegetables, and Kohi and Zuko each had a bowl of cold rice.

"Am I comfortable? Yes. Do I like it here? No." Meiya answered bitterly.

"I am sorry I have to take such measures, Ms…"

"Meiya."

"I am sorry, Ms. Meiya, but please cheer up. The woman I talked to only said I had to capture you. She didn't say I couldn't help you."

"What are you getting at?"

"I've called for the best Waterbending instructors from the Northern Water Tribe and a master Earthbender from my own courts."

"And how will I learn Firebending, hm?"

"I'm certain that this young man can at least teach you the basics."

"You can teach me Firebending?" Meiya asked Zuko.

"Only the very foundation of it and the basic moves. Nothing more."

"And that's all you need to learn. Firebending won't really do much good against the Fire Nation anyhow."

"Against the- What are you talking about?" Meiya asked.

"After you've finished your element training, you're going to help us crush the Fire Nation, right?"

"No! Never! An Avatar's duty is to keep the world in balance!"

"And defeating the Fire Nation will do just that."

"I can't take sides! I must stop this war in complete neutrality!"

"Avatar Aang was against the Fire Nation." King Bure pointed out.

"True, but back then, there was no second party. All the Fire Nation was doing was trying to wipe out the world and leave only fire in its wake. This is a two-sided war, so I cannot take a side."

"I didn't want it to have to come to this, but I think the well-being of your friends will guarantee your cooperation." Bure said.

"If you lay a hand on them, I'll, I'll…" Meiya growled, then sighed. "I'll do what you say. Just don't hurt Kohi or Zuko."

"Wow, Meiya! And here I thought you didn't care for anybody but yourself!" Kohi said cheerfully.

"You'll have your Waterbending instructor by morning. Goodnight." Bure said, walking out of the cell block.

"So, what do we do now?" Zuko asked after a few minutes of silence.

"You're going to get out of here. And I'm going to help you." said Ischi's voice.

She ran into the cell block.

"Ischi! Thank goodness it's you!" Kohi said.

Ischi nodded toward Kohi, then walked towards Zuko's cell and grabbed the metal bars.

She grunted and pulled the bars apart slowly.

"Wow! You're a Metalbender?" Zuko asked, stepping out of the cell.

"Nah. That was just girl power. THIS is Metalbending!" Ischi said, grabbing the bars of Kohi's cell and ripping the entire cell wall right out of its foundation.

"Awesome!" Kohi said, high-fiving Ischi. Ischi did the same Metalbending spectacle with Meiya's cell.

"Now, let's go before the guard I knocked out wake up." Ischi said, sticking her hands in the metal wall behind Zuko's cell and ripping it apart. The four Gaang members stepped out into sunlight.

"C'mon! Run! We don't have a lot of time!" Ischi said.

She and the others ended up running all around the country-sized maze that was Ba Sing Se, and they didn't seem to be getting any closer to the wall.

"What is WRONG with this place?" Meiya asked in frustration.

"Hold on. I just thought of something." Ischi said lifting up the large slab of stone that they were standing on along with several other large stones from all around them.

Ischi clasped her hands together and the stones floated in front of one another like a floating Earth bridge that led to the wall.

"It's a straight shot! Now jump!" Ischi said, leaping across her bridge with the others following as quickly as possible.

"Almost-" Kohi started.

"Don't say 'almost there'! You're going to jinx us again!" Meiya snapped.

"Sorry. You're right." Kohi said.

They reached the Great Wall without a hitch.

"Yes! We made it! Now we're home-"

"Don't you dare!" Meiya yelled again.

Ischi brought forth one of the rocks she used for her bridge.

"Jump on! I'll use the Earth Elevator to get us to the ground."

The Gaang climbed onto the flat rock and began their descent.

"Can I say it now?" Kohi asked.

"No!" Meiya said sternly. When they reached the ground, they were about to climb down.

"Nobody move!" Ischi said, freezing the other three in their places.

Ischi extended her hand forward and the Earth Elevator turned into an Earth Jet, and it flew forward at an awesome speed.

The rock didn't stop for another few minutes, and they were far from the Impenetrable City by the time they took a rest.

"Alright, Kohi. Now you can say-"

"We're home free!" Kohi squealed.

"What do we do from here? The airship is gone and we don't know where Reigo took it." Zuko said.

"Reigo? That's her name?" Meiya asked.

"Yeah. One of her goons said it when I met her the first time."

"She was heading east when we saw her take off." Kohi said. She glanced east and saw the moon, rising higher in the sky. "Let's follow the moon."

"When Reigo kidnapped me, she headed toward the moon as well, but… the moon was to the south."

"How is that possible?"

"It's not." Meiya said. "Which means that something is definitely wrong. The moon may have something to do with Reigo. It's worth a guess.

"Look how close it is to New Moon." Ischi said, noticing the thin, sharp crescent in the moon.

"New Moon's in a couple of days. You don't think…"

"We'll have to wait until New Moon to find out. Right now, we have to go east. That's our best bet to find my airship and my lemur." Meiya said, standing.

"Yeah, but right now let's take a little rest until morning. I'm beat out." Kohi said, falling on the ground.

"Eh, why not?" Meiya said, laying on the ground and falling asleep as quickly as Kohi.

Zuko and Ischi sat on the ground beside each other, a little ways away from the two Airbenders.

"So, Zuko. Where do you want to get married when the war ends?"

"Definitely on Ember Island. It's so beautiful in the summer." Zuko said.

"I agree. And we don't even have to go far for the honeymoon." Ischi joked. "So, Zuko?"

"Ischi?"

"Everybody's asleep, we're all alone."

"Yeah?"

"Do you think you, maybe, want to practice the 'You may kiss the bride.' clause?"

"Hm hm. You read my mind." Zuko said, leaning in toward Ischi, preparing to kiss her.

Just a moment before their lips met, Zuko and Ischi flinched when they heard a loud snore from Kohi.

"I'm sure it was spontaneous." Zuko said, leaning in again. Both he and Ischi flinched again when Kohi snored again.

"Maybe we should just go to sleep. Kohi's snoring sort of kills the mood."

"Agreed." Zuko said, laying down. Ischi smiled and laid down on Zuko's chest, and the Fire Prince wrapped one arm around her waist, and the soon-to-be-wed fell asleep in each other's arms.


	7. Nonbelievers Shall Perish

Last night, Zuko and Ischi fell asleep cuddling each other, and woke up in the same position, having achieved perfect sleep despite the rough ground they were sleeping on.

Kohi had a less better time of it, occasionally tossing and turning. But it was apparent that Meiya had the absolute worst time of her sleep.

Her eyes were drooping and her hairrow was a mess, not to mention her tattered and dirty clothes and scraped feet.

"What happened, Meiya? Did you dream that you were fighting a battle and lost?" Kohi joked.

"Shut up." Meiya said weakly, unable to even sound remotely intimidating. "I just had a restless night. That's all."

"Did you dream?" Ischi asked. She noticed that Meiya's throat tightened slightly as she said,

"No. I told you, I was just a little restless. Drop it, okay?"

"Alright, then. Let's started heading east, toward the sun."

"We have to find the Sky Bison quickly. New Moon is tonight, and we have no idea what's going to happen with that Shadowbender."

"How do we know she even 'exists' during the day?" Zuko asked.

"What do you mean?"

"Every time Reigo makes a move, it's during the nighttime. When she confronted me in my palace, it was about 9:00 at night. Ischi, when did she capture you?"

"I would have to guess at about 10:00."

"And she mugged me and took the airship at about 11:00."

"She's got a schedule. Is it just coincidence that this pattern points to dead midnight on the same night as New Moon?"

"Probably, but we can't rule anything out. We have to find the Sky Bison and stop Reigo. Even if I'm just a glorified Airbender, I can't learn the elements in a day."

"Then let's stop talking and get moving!" Kohi said. "Ischi, can you use your Earth Jet again?"

"Sure. Everybody on." Ischi said, levitating the same rock they used to jet away from Ba Sing Se. The Gaang climbed onto the rock and they took off.

000

Khole and the Waterbender she met in Omashu were racing across the sea on a furry dolphin with long fangs and speckles on is body.

"Let's go, cheetah dolphin! We have to hurry!"

"We've been at sea for a whole night. I hope it's not too late."

"Too late for what? You never told me what happened." Khole said.

"The Northern Water Tribe was attacked…by a crazed Airbender who was claiming that the end of the world was near and that the age of the Shadowbenders would soon be upon us. Nobody believed him, so the Airbender got very upset and started attacking our people. He didn't attack any of the Nonbenders, just our Waterbending soldiers and teachers."

Khole thought of Meiya when she heard about the Waterbending teachers.

"Age of the what?"

"Shadowbenders, he was claiming. It was basically complete gibberish."

"We'll have to talk to him once we get to-"

Khole stopped and her voice caught in her throat when she saw that they were approaching the Northern Water Tribe. She saw that the front wall was in ruins and heard faint screaming from inside.

"Let's go!" she told her guide as they jumped off of the cheetah dolphin, which clicked its tongue against its fangs before diving back into the water.

The two Waterbenders ran up the steps, toward the city.

000

The Earth Jet continued on east until they reached a small town, where Ischi stopped on the outskirts.

"What's going on, Ischi? Why are we stopping?" Kohi asked.

"We have to be careful around Earth Kingdom cities now. News of my disappearance is sure to have spread, and I'm definite that there's a bounty on you, Meiya, and Zuko. We have to disguise ourselves."

"How?" Zuko asked. "This place is bustling. There's no way we can hide."

"That's what you think." Meiya said, using sharp winds to slice off clumps of her hair until it was about neck-length, as apposed to the back-length hair she sported before this point. She smoothed down her hairrow against her head and repositioned her bangs so that for the most part, the hairrow was hidden.

Meiya noticed a WANTED poster with an artist's representation of her drawn on it. Meiya took the poster and showed it to the rest of the Gaang.

"Recognize me?"

"Actually, no. You look nothing like the poster." Kohi said. "In fact, you actually look cute! Not at all like a wasp."

"Gee, thanks." Meiya said half-heartedly. "Stay here. I'll go buy us some disguises. Can I borrow some money, Zuko?"

Zuko dug a pouch of gold coins out of his pocket and handed it to Meiya.

Meiya turned and walked into the small town and entered a nearby shop. A few minutes later, Meiya came back out with three different outfits.

"These are your disguises. Put them on quickly and let's go." Meiya said, handing them the outfits and turning around.

000

Once everyone was changed and disguised, they entered the town.

"What are we doing here?" Kohi asked.

"We can't leave out anyplace where the Sky Bison could be. Although it's unlikely that Reigo would leave it here, or leave it anywhere at all, we have to look everywhere we go." Meiya said.

"Found it." Kohi said, pointing into the air.

Meiya frowned and furled her eyebrows. Over their heads was, in fact, the Sky Bison, but it was painted all sorts of different colors, and children where riding in it.

"What is Reigo getting at? Why would she leave the Sky Bison so close to us?"

Ischi had a sudden epiphany. "Because we changed history!"

"What? What are you talking about? Meiya asked.

"When Reigo captured me, she said something strange."

-flashback-

_"I'm going to make sure you die there." Reigo hissed._

_"Why not kill me here?" Ischi asked, hoping she wouldn't grab at that bait._

_"Because I'm not supposed to do the killing. All I'm supposed to do is make sure that history runs its correct course."_

-end flashback-

"Whatever Reigo's source was, it told her that I would die at Fire Fountain City, but I didn't and she doesn't know that I'm still alive. She's continuing on her course as if I were dead! Just think about it! She took the Sky Bison and we were arrested. If she had her way, Meiya would come back to Ba Sing Se, tell my father that I had died, she and the others would be captured, I'd be dead and unable to free you, and you'd still be trapped in Ba Sing Se. Reigo doesn't know this, so she thinks that her mission is over and that she can relax until the mothership comes to find her."

"Makes sense, except for one thing. How would Reigo know all of this?"

"Ooh! Ooh! Because she's from the future!" Kohi said.

"There's no time for your stupid imagination, Kohi. This is serious business." Meiya scolded. "So, Ischi, can you support your theory?"

"I'm sure if I had a little more time, I could figure it out, but I can't right now."

"Okay, we'll keep this theory in mind, but we can't bank on it until we have solid evidence." Meiya said. "But our main priority is getting my airship back from whoever owns it now."

"Alright kids, everybody off! Who's up next? Come one! Come all! Take a ride on the marvelous mechanical Sky Bison!" yelled a cheery female voice.

Meiya looked toward the voice and her eyes widened.

"Guys, that's Reigo!" she whispered. She looked back at the tall woman with fair skin and snow-white hair. She held a sun umbrella over her head, along with the two money handlers that were taking admission for the ride.

Meiya gasped when she heard a familiar chattering behind her.

"Kisi! You're okay!" she said as the lemur jumped onto her shoulder, nuzzling her cheek.

"Alright, somehow we've got the lemur, but how are we going to get the Bison?" Zuko asked.

"How else? We're going on a little ride." Meiya said as the Bison touched down and the kids climbed out. "Let's go. Follow my lead."

"Excuse me, miss? Can we take a ride?"

"Why, of course you can, little ladies and gentleman! Just pay a couple of gold and hop on!" Reigo said, obviously not recognizing the Gaang.

Zuko paid the fare for everybody, then help the ladies into the Sky Bison before climbing into it himself.

"Alright. This is how you control the Bison."

"We already know how to work it."

"Huh? How do you know? Did someone tell you about it?"

"Nope." Meiya said, shaking her bangs off of her head and revealing her hairrow. Reigo gasped.

"Bye-bye!" Kohi called as Meiya pulled the clutch and lifted the Sky Bison into the air and quickly taking off.

"Huh! That was easier than I thought it would be." Meiya said, and as she said this, a rock flew through the air and smashed into the side of the Bison. Meiya looked on the ground behind her and saw some Earthbenders throwing big rocks at them. Reigo was yelling.

"Thieves! Savages! They stole my Sky Bison!"

"Reigo's an awesome actor." Ischi said as Meiya weaved back and forth, up and down, and in all sorts of directions to dodge the rocks.

"Do a barrel roll!" Kohi yelled, trying and failing to sound serious.

"That sounds familiar. Where have I heard that before?" Zuko asked.

"Don't know, don't care!" Meiya yelled in frustration as more rocks slammed into the airship.

Eventually, the Gaang fell out of range and the Earthbenders gave up.

"Who's the jinxer now?" Kohi joked.

"Shut up." Meiya said, wiping sweat off of her forehead. "Next stop, Northern Water Tribe."

"Hm? You're not taking me back to New Zuko?" the Fire Prince asked.

"I have use for you two. If Ischi can Metalbend, that means she's a master Earthbender like Toph was and can teach me, right?"

"I guess." Ischi said.

"And Zuko can teach me some of the basics of Firebending. I can pick up on mastery skills later."

"I still miss Khole." Kohi said.

"We had no use for Khole." Meiya said bluntly. "Now, if we're done reminiscing, we have to hurry to the Northern Water Tribe. New Moon is tonight, and during that time, Waterbending is useless."

Meiya pulled the clutch and rose the Sky Bison higher into the air, then pushed the clutch into its lever, causing large jets of air to fly out of the back and make the airship pick up speed.

000

After only minutes within the walls of the Northern Water Tribe, Khole and the other Waterbender were hiding in a small hospital.

"Kwan, was it?" Khole asked with a scared tone. She was hiding under a cold hospital bed.

"Yes?" asked Kwan, who hid behind one of the large frosted pots.

"What's wrong with that Airbender? He's not like any Airbender I've met. He's nuts."

"I don't know what's wrong with him. Nobody does. All we know is that he's far past help-"

"Who's in here?" asked a crazed voice. Khole held her breath, and Kwan stepped out into the open.

"I am. I'm the only one here." Kwan lied.

"Why are you hiding? Are you scared of me?" the voice asked. Khole couldn't see the man's face, and she didn't dare poke her head from under the bed.

"Y-Yes. I am scared of you. Everybody in this Tribe is or was afraid of you."

"Are you a Waterbender?"

"Err.."

"Answer me!"

"Yes! Yes, I am a Waterbender."

"Do you believe me?"

"Believe what?"

"DON'T ACT LIKE YOU DON'T KNOW! ANSWER ME OR YOU'RE GOING TO DIE!"

"Tell me what I'm supposed to believe first!"

"The Shadowbenders! They're coming tonight! Tonight at the New Moon! Tell me you believe!"

"Why? I'm not trying to offend your 'beliefs', but it's not a very smart claim. Who are these Shadowbenders?"

"If you don't know now, you'll never know." the man said icily.

"No. No, no, please!" Kwan pleaded.

There was a sharp gust of air, the sound of skin being pierced and blood hitting the floor. Khole whimpered silently as Kwan fell to the ground beside the bed, with a huge Airbent gash in his chest, coughing and gagging.

'Kwan…' Khole thought.

Her heart skipped two beats as a strong hand grabbed her ankle, which she only now realized was sticking from the base of the bed, and was dragged out, screaming.

"Are you a Waterbender? Answer me now!" said the man, who's blue tattoos confirmed that he was an Air Nomad. His eyes were red and puffy and blood oozed from a cut on his lip.

Out of the corner of her eye, Khole saw Kwan shaking his head slowly, as if to tell her 'Say no.'

"N-N-No! No, I'm not a Waterbender!" Khole chattered, whimpering like a child before the tall Airbender. " My name is Khole! I'm sixteen! I'm a Beast Pacifier! An Energybender! I was raised in the Southern Water Tribe, but came here to complete my training! I made friends with a cheetah dolphin and a great white whale shark to get here and I don't appreciate that you hurt Kwan and I'm really scared and please don't kill me!" Khole stammered in fear.

The Airbender looked at Khole, and his expression just changed.

"I'm sorry for causing you so much trouble. Good day." he said before turning and walking out of the hospital. Khole crawled up to Kwan in tears.

"Kwan, I'm so sorry! Can I help you?"

"I don't think…that there's anything that anyone can do. This gash goes straight through my heart. I'm lucky to still be alive now."

"I'm sorry, Kwan." Khole blubbered.

"Don't worry, Khole. It's al…"

And at that moment, Kwan unceremoniously and disturbingly died before finishing his sentence.

The sheer grief and stress now shoved into Khole's chest caused her to faint so hard that anyone who just looked at her would think that she was dead, too.

000

"Come on, guys! It's almost noon and I still don't know the first thing about Waterbending!" Meiya said, leaping out of the Sky Bison as quickly as she could after landing. Kohi, Zuko, and Ischi followed behind as quickly as they could.

"Meiya? Meiya, what's wrong?" Kohi asked, seeing her friends standing at the city's gate frozen solid. Her eyes were wide and had pure shock strewn all over her face.

Kohi followed her eyes and covered her mouth in horror.

All around the city, bodies were laid out on the ground. Dead bodies. Meiya noticed the waterskins on their sides and immediately knew that they were Waterbenders. All of them.

"My goodness! What in the world happened?" Ischi gasped.

"They were all killed. Who could've killed them?" Zuko asked.

Meiya looked from one body to the next with the same look of horror and shock frozen on her face. She saw movement out of the corner of her eye and saw a man running down one of the side rods of the city.

"Hey! Stop! What happened here?" Meiya yelled, chasing the man. As she trailed whoever it was that was running, Meiya had to evade several more bodies that were all around the city.

The chase passed a hospital and Kohi gasped when she saw who was inside.

"They got Khole…" she said sadly, not knowing that the Waterbender was only unconscious.

The chase led Meiya to the sparring circle near the center fountain of the city, where Meiya saw an even more disturbing sight, the bodies of children. Children that were training to be Waterbenders.

"What could've done this?" Meiya whispered.

"Those fools didn't believe me!" yelled a voice nearby. Meiya looked up and saw the man she was chasing, surprised to see that it was a fellow Airbenders

"B-But you're one of me. You can't be like the others. Y-You have to believe me, right? Answer me!"

"You…killed these people?" Meiya asked.

"DO YOU BELIEVE ME!" the insane man screamed, the words barely coming out as a question.

Meiya shot her hands forward and launched a powerful gust of air at the man, sending him flying backwards.

"Meiya, calm down! This man needs help and he's totally unstable! We don't know what he could do." Kohi warned as she, Ischi, and Zuko ran up to her side.

"I know what I'M going to do!" Meiya growled as the man stood.

"They are coming soon! All who don't believe will perish!" the crazed Airbender yelled wildly, swinging his arms through the air and sending wind blades in Meiya's direction.

The enraged Avatar compressed the air around her to form a bubble shield, which absorbed the impact of the wind blades.

The two rival Airbenders clashed winds for several minutes. The Airbender seemed to be getting tired, and if Meiya was getting tired as well, she wasn't showing it.

"You may be a nonbeliever that lives…" the Airbender said to Meiya, glancing at the three behind her. "…But at least one of you other nonbelievers will perish!"

The Airbender swung another swift wind blade and Meiya made another compressed air bubble to defend herself, but the blade flew right past her.

"No!" Meiya screamed, turning back to her friends. Kohi froze like a deer squirrel in a bright light as the wind blade careened right toward her. It struck her on the left side of her chest, right below her shoulder and neck, and Kohi went down.

She gurgled and wheezed as blood spattered and poured from the wound. Ischi screamed as loud as she could and Zuko pulled Ischi into his arms, horror-stricken.

Meiya's hairrow began to glow bright and she turned back to the Airbender, growling. Ethereal tears flowed freely from her eyes. She screamed at the Airbender, sending a blast of air right at him.

Within Meiya's mind, she was in deep pain. She stood in a space-like world, clutching her head in agony. Her hairrow and eyes still glowed. She stood before a larger version of herself, shadowed by an eternal silhouette. This second Meiya's eyes and hairrow were bright red instead of glowing white.

"_Do not hold anything back…"_ the second Meiya said, raising her hands toward the smaller Meiya. _"Holding back is for the weak and purposeless. Let your emotions run free…then give them all to me…"_

The second Meiya grabbed the smaller Meiya in both hands, putting out the white light and leaving only the ominous bright red light. Outside of Meiya's mind, her glowing white eyes and hairrow slowly shifted from white to an evil red.

Meiya's entire demeanor changed. Her grief and horror-stricken face had changed to that of a crazed sadist. Her appearance now was even more insane than the Airbender she was fighting.

Meiya's lips cracked and slowly rose to form an inhuman smile.

She leaned forward, then reared her head back and half-roared, half-screamed as loud as she could, causing the ground around her to literally tremble in fear at Meiya's newly-found evil power.


	8. The Dark Avatar

The sharp and jarring trembling of the ground stirred Khole awake. She sat up and looked around.

"An earthquake? But there's no earth for miles, and even the sea floor around here is made of ice."

Khole tried her hardest not to look at Kwan's corpse as she turned and crawled out of the door, her ankle sore and bruised from the tight grip that the crazy Airbender had on her.

The ground trembled again and Khole's arms slid from under her, causing her to flop against the ice like an idiot.

Too prideful to get defeated by the ground, Khole steeled her strong muscles and stood on wobbly legs. Her ankle was killing her, but she managed to hobble to the corner that led into the Waterbending Training Circle. Khole's eyes widened and her pupils shrank when she saw Meiya lumbering in the center of the Circle. Although Khole could only see the back of Meiya's head, she could tell that it was Meiya by her hairrow and the tattoos on her arms and legs. But Khole could've sworn that the tattoos were blue and the hairrow was brown, not red.

000

"T-The Avatar! You're the Avatar?" the Airbender asked, almost losing his insane demeanor. "You! You're the only one who can stop the Shadowbenders!"

Meiya stepped forward, the sadistic smile still painted on her face. She glanced around, almost unconcerned about her opponent. Her eyes eventually fell on Ischi and Zuko.

Ischi, not even recognizing her friend anymore, whimpered in fear. Zuko held Ischi closer and tighter, staring at Meiya. Kohi could only

"Oh, it is TRULY an honor to finally meet you, o great Avatar! You are the only one who can stop the Shadow-"

The unnamed Airbender stopped suddenly as Meiya swung her fist at his face, sending him flying across the icy ground.

"You annoy me." Meiya said, her voice slightly deeper and more menacing.

"If your aggression is connected with the girl I injured, I apologize for using such draconian methods, but she was a nonbeliever! She was going to perish anyway!"

"Go away." Meiya said, lifting her hand and slamming it into the ice.

An explosion flew up into the air where the Airbender once stood. When the icy smoke cleared, there was a hand-shaped hole in the ice, filled with water. After a few moments, the water began to fill with blood.

Horrified at the sight, Ischi began to scream as loud as she could, attracting Meiya's attention.

"Shush, Ischi!" Zuko whispered harshly, holding Ischi tighter. Ischi pressed her face into Zuko's chest, too afraid to look at Meiya.

"Your yelling is annoying me." Meiya hissed, smiling. She raised her hand into the air again. Zuko shut his eyes and whispered, "I'm sorry." into Ischi's ear.

Meiya's fingers crinkled and her entire arm tensed before she could finish her targets. Meiya frowned, and her hairrow flashed from red to white, then back to red again. Meiya growled, then lowered her hand slowly.

"Get…out…" Meiya grumbled. Zuko lifted his head to see Meiya trembling in place, her hands clutching her head.

"Get out…of…" Meiya was still murmuring.

"Get out…of me…" Meiya growled, louder this time.

Ischi carefully glanced at Meiya. She had dropped to her knees.

"I…said…GET OUT!"

Meiya screamed as loud as she could, her voice returning to normal. Her hairrow and tattoos flashed bright white and she fell to the ground.

Zuko wanted to approached her, but he felt repelled, as if something wanted to keep everybody away.

A cough that was moist with blood drew everyone's attention. Kohi was still in immense pain. Every breath drew more blood from her gaping wound.

"Kohi!" Khole yelled, running and kneeling at her friend's side. She became frightened when Kohi didn't respond.

Kohi's mind became very hazy. Strong waves of numbness blasted from her wound and shot down her legs, then back up in her neck. She had already lost all feeling on the left side of her body, and the right side was faring no better.

"Kohi! Kohi, can you hear me?" yelled Khole's voice. The sound of her voice frightened Kohi. It sounded as if Khole was underwater, and her yells only registered as whispers. The next step was the tunnel vision that was slowly developing as her eyes dulled. Khole was still screaming, but Kohi couldn't hear her. The fear in her body slowly dissipated, and she felt her heart stop.

The lack of flowing blood made Kohi's body seem frozen, and she knew that she was only moments away from death.

"I have no choice." Khole whispered, touching two fingers on her right hand to Kohi's forehead, and two fingers on her left hand to the crown of her chest. Khole breathed in, then began to chant.

"Na Mo A Mi Tuo Fo Shin Ney…Na Mo A Mi Tuo Fo Shin Ney…"

Khole's eyes and inner mouth began to glow. After a moment, Kohi's facial features began to glow as well.

"What's happening?" Ischi asked.

"I don't know." was all Zuko could say.

After a few moments passed, Khole began to squint, as if she was in pain. Kohi's wound began to rapidly heal, until it had completely sealed itself.

Khole and Kohi's eyes and mouth stopped glowing. Khole lowered her head and began to pant. Kohi was still unconscious.

"She'll…She'll be just fine." Khole said.

"What did you do?" Ischi asked.

"I Energybent some of my life energy into hers to bring her back to life. Well, I can't say that, because she was never dead. If she was dead, my Energybending would've killed me in exchange for her revival. She should wake up in a couple of hours. What's up with Meiya?"

Ischi and Zuko looked back at the unconscious Avatar. Zuko still felt repelled away from Meiya, and Ischi's uncomfortable posture told him that she felt the same way.

"I hope she's okay." Ischi whispered.

000

Meiya's eyes slowly opened, her mind ringing as if her head was trapped in a thorny vice. She recognized the area she stood in. It was the same room of golden clouds where she met Avatar Aang. Almost on cue, Aang stepped from the clouds.

"Avatar Aang. What's happening? Why do I feel this way?" Meiya said, rubbing her head.

"The pain will go away eventually. I am concerned about another matter." Aang said gravely. "The Avatar State that you just assumed, it wasn't normal, was it?"

"I don't remember."

"I assumed you wouldn't. Look at this."

Aang separated some of the golden clouds and images began to appear. Meiya saw her tattoos and hairrow turning from white to red.

"Red?"

"Blood red. This is not the general uncontrollable Avatar State. This is something far worse. And there it is." Aang said, pointing.

Meiya turned her head quickly to what Aang was pointing at. Amongst the shining, golden clouds, there was one small cloud that was dusty and smoggy, meandering about the area like a menacing lizard spider.

"What is that?" Meiya asked.

"You could figure it out for yourself if you knew exactly where you were. Have you ever wondered that?"

"I haven't, actually. I always thought that this was the Spirit World."

"Meiya, you couldn't be more wrong." Aang said, shaking his head sadly.

"Oh no… Don't tell me I'm…dead?"

Aang's demeanor suddenly changed and he chuckled amusedly.

"No, no! You're not dead. This is your mind."

"My…mind?"

"Yes, your own personal inner sanctum. These golden clouds around you represent the purity of your spirit."

"Then that means that the black cloud is impurity." Meiya guessed.

"It's never that simple, my dear."

"So what was that form that I took? With the red hairrow and tattoos?"

"Being a spiritual part of your being, I can see into your past. Early on in your training, you were taught to expel all negative emotions, but being constantly picked on and berated, those negative emotions were too strong to simply expel."

"Yeah?" Meiya pressed, sitting down cross-legged like a school student listening to a lecture.

"In order to compensate, you pushed the emotions that you COULDN'T expel to the very back of your mind, where you thought you wouldn't have to deal with them anymore."

"What does this have to do with-"

"I'm getting to that. Remember when you first entered the Avatar State?"

Meiya nodded.

"That was a trigger. I lied and told you that I pulled you into the Spirit World to keep you from hurting anybody, which is half-true, three-quarters lie. Actually, I pulled you into your own mind to keep you from entering the Dark Avatar State."

"The Dark Ava-"

"Remember those negative emotions that you pushed back? They festered. They became one separate dormant conscience that, on normal circumstances, would never surface. But the Avatar State, you see, is the most active state of mind possible. In the Avatar State, every nook and cranny of the brain works at full capacity."

"So does those evil emotions." Meiya realized.

"Exactly. The first time you enter the Avatar State is the trigger. The second time, the bad things start to happen. Those negative emotions, unfortunately, are stronger than you. They can overpower you and become the dominant personality. That's what your friends just witnessed, your evil side."

"How can I control the evil emotions?"

"It's far too late for that. Once they became a separate conscience, it was too late."

"You mean…"

"There's no way to stop your Avatar State from becoming corrupted. You're cursed." Aang said darkly.

"Now, back to that cloud. That's a big problem, for something so small."

"What is it?"

"Leftovers. Can you guess what they're leftovers of?"

"The negative emotions."

"You're a fast learner, Meiya."

"What does it mean?"

"The more you use the Avatar State, and the longer the time you spend in it, the more of these dark clouds will appear, and your sanity will slowly whittle away, until your personalities switch places and the darker you is the dominant emotion and the positive emotions are pushed to the back of your mind."

"You're saying I can't use the Avatar State?"

"I'm not saying you can't. I'm saying you shouldn't. I can't keep you here much longer, but I have to show you something that's been weighing heavily on me for a while. It's what happened a little before you arrived."

Aang split a couple of other clouds, and images of the deceased Airbender appeared. He was screaming at his opponents, Waterbenders of the tribe.

"All of you benders must perish for not believing the truth. The people of the Eastern Air Temple didn't believe me either, don't be like them! Don't end up like they ended up!"

Meiya frowned, then thought a little.

"No. Oh, no. I have to go!" Meiya said.

"Go ahead." Aang said, shrinking back into the clouds.

000

Suddenly, Meiya's eyes shot open and she stood up. Zuko and Ischi instinctively backed up.

Meiya ignored them and ran for the Sky Bison.

"Meiya! Come back!" Ischi yelled.

Khole picked Kohi up and ran with Ischi and Zuko after Meiya.

Meiya leaped into the Sky Bison and almost took off without the rest of the Gaang.

"Meiya, what's going on?" Ischi asked, putting a hand on Meiya's shoulder.

The distressed Avatar said nothing as she sliced through the sky toward the Eastern Air Temple.

Hours later, the Eastern Air Temple came into view. Meiya sloppily landed the Sky Bison onto the ground and ran up into the main square.

Meiya almost fainted. The main square was painted red with blood, but there were no bodies.

"Oh, this is too much!" Ischi said, clutching her stomach and kneeling, as if she was going to vomit her guts at any moment.

"There was obviously a battle here. Don't think too hard on it, Meiya." Zuko reassured. "Maybe the Eastern Air Nomads relocated."

Meiya noticed something out of the corner of her eye and ran toward it. When she confirmed what it was, Meiya wished she weren't so eager to see it.

Meiya had stumbled onto a mutilated body, one that she recognized as one of the girls who used to play in the center of the square. She frowned when she also confirmed that it was one of the girls who used to taunt her when she was younger.

"Meiya…" Zuko murmured sympathetically.

Meiya looked ahead and noticed that another body sat in front of the first one, and another after that. The bodies seemed to form a line, leading to the bare mountain range that lay behind the temple. The range dipped into a large basin-gorge that used to hold a lake, but had dried up. The basin had been jokingly named the Valley of the Dead, but looking inside that basin, Meiya realized that the joke was over.

Her skin turned to chalk when she saw that within the basin was a colony of dead bodies. The dead bodies of her fellow Air Nomads.

"Just like my dream…" Meiya said, flashing back to her disturbed sleep back outside of Ba Sing Se.

Ischi couldn't take any more carnage in one day. After promptly vomiting a waterfall, she fainted.

Khole looked absolutely horrified, and Zuko couldn't even look.

"What cruel irony." Meiya said lowly. Zuko lifted his head. He had half-expected Meiya to go bat-crap crazy and assume her evil Avatar State again, but she managed to hold her emotions in.

"What do you mean?" Zuko asked warily, being careful not to intentionally strike nerves.

"Other girls my age used to joke about wanting to be buried here when they died. Can you see the irony?" Meiya asked. Zuko nodded.

"Don't worry, Meiya. We'll find the person who did this and make him pay."

"I know who did it." Meiya said, her shoulders shaking. "And I already made him pay."

Zuko realized that Meiya was talking about the crazed Airbender that she had brutally murdered.

"I'm not done. It wasn't just him." Meiya said, as if she had read Zuko's mind. "I was suspicious of Reigo for quite a while. Why would she take the Sky Bison? Why not just destroy it and leave it at that? Now I know."

Zuko stared at Meiya, not knowing what she was talking about.

"This was the last step of her mission. She took the Bison to fly here and help that crazy prophet wipe out the Eastern Airbenders, then send him to the Northern Water Tribe to wipe out the Waterbenders on the off-chance that I got out of jail, found the Bison and came here. The trap was unavoidable, and this was the salt in the wound for me, and the icing on the cake for her." Meiya finished.

Zuko noticed that Meiya's shoulders were trembling.

"I bet you're wondering how I can keep my emotions in check." Meiya said, reading Zuko's mind again. "If I follow my instincts and release all of my emotions at once, there's no doubt in m-my mind that I-I'd go insane."

Meiya began to sniffle and her eyes burned. She was struggling to fight back tears.

"There's no shame in crying, Meiya." Zuko said. He was taken aback when Meiya yelled out and threw herself into Zuko, crying loudly into his chest.

Zuko felt uncomfortable, to say the least. "I-It'll be alright, Meiya." he said, awkwardly patting her on the back.

"There's no time to learn any of the elements. New Moon is in a couple of hours. I'll have to face whatever is to come using only Airbending."

"You say that like you're going in alone. Meiya, you have backup. Right now, it doesn't matter if you don't know the four elements. All four elements are with you right now. Once Ischi wakes up, that is." Zuko reassured.

"Then what are we waiting for? Let's go pay Reigo one last visit." Meiya said, standing and wiping the tears from her eyes.

Khole had helped Ischi to her feet and Kohi was beginning to stir. She sat up, her eyes wide open.

"What happened? Did I miss anything?" she asked.

"Nope. The fun is just about to get started." Meiya said, looking up at the moon. Only a tiny wisp of light remained. New Moon was almost upon the world.


	9. New Moon Pt 1

-hours earlier-

"The biggest battle yet is happening in just a few hours, son. Are you sure you're ready for this? It's not too late to back out and join the war a little later."

"I've been ready, Father."

"Alright, then. As our family tradition dictates, when one of our family's men join the Fire Nation Army, they get their special tattoos."

The young man didn't even flinch as his father used Firebending to burn permanent red scars into the back of his son's hands. The tattoos were shaped like stars, and the young man looked upon his new tattoos with honor.

"Thank you, father." he said, nodding once before turning and walking out of the door.

**(A/N: Remember that dude at the very beginning of the story? The one with the ****star tattoos****? Hint, hint!)**

The man practically ran to the Fire Nation Palace to join his fellow soldiers. Once all had been gathered, the army marched toward the city gate, preparing for their next battle with the Earth Kingdom.

000

Meiya and the Gaang flew rapidly through the air on the Sky Bison toward the Southern Air Temple. It was almost midnight and the light beaming from the corner of the New Moon threatened to give way at any moment.

"What are we doing here?" Zuko asked.

"This is the Southern Air Temple, former home of Avatar Aang. There's something here that I want to pick up before we head to look for Reigo." Meiya said, jumping off of the Sky Bison and running into the temple. Minutes later, she reemerged, holding a wooden staff. Kohi gasped.

"Is that what I think it is?"

"Yes." Meiya said, tapping the staff on the ground. Compartments on the staff's sides opened up into a blue-frilled glider.

"This is Aang's glider, one of his greatest weapons. And now, it's one of mine. The temple's Council of Elders was very happy to see me and immediately obliged to giving me the ancient weapon. For a five-century year-old artifact, this thing is surprisingly strong." Meiya said as the Sky Bison took off again.

"Now that I have what I need, we can go and give Reigo what's coming to her."

"Just one problem. Where is she?"

"Hey, guys! Look down there!" Kohi called. Meiya looked over the edge of the airship and noticed to armies marching towards each other.

"What should we do? The Earth Kingdom and Fire Nation are tearing each other apart." Ischi said.

"We can't worry about that right now. We have to find Reigo and stop her." Meiya said, picking up speed as she approached the battleground.

"We don't even know what's going to happen at New Moon! We could all be getting hyped up over nothing at all!" Zuko complained. "As far as we know, this New Moon crap is all one big wild goose chase to keep us from stopping THIS war battle! Land the Bison, Meiya."

"This isn't about New Moon! I'm looking for the person who killed my family! My temple-mates! Did anybody kill YOUR family?" Meiya yelled.

"Not YET, but if we don't stop them, my family and lots of OTHER people could die! New Zuko is only a half-mile away! Now LAND THE BISON!" Zuko yelled back.

"Stop yelling at her, Zuko!" Ischi pleaded.

"When did this become about you, Zuko?" Meiya retorted. "In case you've forgotten, we're all in this together. We all agreed that Reigo was the top priority."

"That was until many lives were genuinely at risk, which is right now!"

"I'm getting sick and tired of your pushiness!"

"I'm getting sick and tired of your stubbornness!" Zuko growled, grabbing Meiya's shoulder and trying to take the controls.

"Zuko! Stop it! You're hurting me!" Meiya cried. She pushed Zuko off and pulled the clutch into autopilot. She leaped onto Zuko and the two fought vigorously.

"Zuko, Meiya! Stop this, please!" Ischi begged, tears forming in her eyes.

Zuko and Meiya tussled with each other, rolling off of the edge of the Bison.

"Whoa!" Kohi yelled, jumping at the controls, and taking the Bison out of autopilot. She dove down and made a U-turn to catch Meiya and Zuko in the Bison again. Kohi landed the Bison next to the battlefield.

Zuko and Meiya rolled out of the Bison again and landed on the ground, still punching and kicking each other.

"Come on, guys! This is stupid!" Khole yelled.

Meiya sat on Zuko's stomach and continued to batter at him until Zuko extended his hands to defend himself and accidentally launched a stream of fire right into Meiya's face.

Meiya screamed and fell backwards, clutching her head.

"Meiya! Meiya, I'm sorry! It was an accident!" Zuko panicked, trying to help her up.

Meiya pushed Zuko away and grabbed her glider, jumping into the air and flying away.

"MEIYA, I'M SORRY!" Zuko screamed one last time, but as he expected, she didn't look back.

"Great, Zuko. Just great." Kohi said sadly.

"It was an accident! I would never burn her on purpose! You guys know that!" Zuko defended.

"We don't blame you, Zuko. And we don't blame Meiya , either. But look what your bickering has gotten us." Ischi said.

Zuko looked down depressively. 'What have I done?' he thought.

000

On the battlefield, the Fire Lord and his army marched toward its adversary with fiery vigor, while the Earth King and his army marched with rocky stalwartness.

"Ready yourselves, men! Today, we lead the Fire Nation to a glorious victory!" Fire Lord Houja shouted, loud enough for the Earth Kingdom to hear.

"I must say, Houja. It was bold of you to declare this battle during the nighttime. Are you sure you're THAT confident in your men's Firebending ability?"

"Of course I am. Allow me to demonstrate! Men, CHARGE!"

The Fire Nation Army screamed their battle cries, then swiftly advanced forward, shooting fireballs at their opponents. The Earth Kingdom charged as well, tossing heavy stones.

Before either side could physically clash with the other, a large wall of shadow rose out of the ground and separated the two warring nations.

"Welcome, foolish warmongers!" Reigo said, rising out of the ground as the shadow wall fell. "Welcome to your destruction!"

The Fire Nation and Earth Kingdom looked wary as Reigo continued.

"Tonight, the borders between your four pitiful nations blurs completely, and gives way to absolute chaos!"

"Not if we can help it!" yelled Kohi's voice. Reigo leaped out of the way as Kohi threw a wind sphere at her.

"Ah, the munchkin patrol. Where's your pack leader?" Reigo mocked, noticing that Meiya was not among them.

Zuko tensed up at Meiya's mention.

"Well, no matter. Your world is ending, with or without the Avatar."

Reigo swiftly tapped her foot on the ground, and shadow tendrils shot out of the ground and quickly bound the Gaang's arms. More tendrils shot up and wrapped around their legs and waists, tethering the Gaang where they stood.

"Now that I have your attention, this war is about to take a turn you never saw coming! Fire Nation! Earth Kingdom! Others…"

Reigo regarded the Gaang as if they were toddlers.

"Get ready for THIS!"

Reigo raised her hand into the sky, toward the darkened moon.

Ischi looked up and gasped, thinking that she was imagining what she was seeing.

The moon was vibrating. It looked as if a massive-scale earthquake was occurring on the sky-bound stone.

Ischi also thought she was imagining that the moon was getting larger, which she was. The moon wasn't getting larger, it was coming closer to Earth.

"Are you going to make the moon collide with the world?" Khole asked.

"Don't be ridiculous. I'm only bringing it into the atmosphere."

"Atmo-what?"

"Oh, how primitive." Reigo said, shaking her head disappointedly.

Once the moon entered the Earth's atmosphere, the darkness literally began to swirl, until the moon became one large spherical vortex.

"Now, you miserable wretches, make way for the Shadow Clan!"

Suddenly, a large meteor of shadow shot out of the moon and began to careen toward the Earth.

"It's a portal!" Kohi realized.

"But a portal from where?" Ischi followed.

As the shadow meteor approached the Earth, it suddenly split into hundreds of other shadow meteors that were much smaller.

These smaller meteors crashed into the ground, forming pools of shadows where they landed, as opposed to craters. These pools of shadows rose to form strangely dressed people, similar to how Reigo could sink and rise out of the ground.

"Shadowbenders! Attack! Seize the night!" Reigo yelled. "So commands your princess!"

"Princess? So you're not leading this attack?" Ischi asked.

"I'm leading THIS attack, just not the whole mission. That job belongs to my mother, who you'll meet soon enough." Reigo said with an evil smile.

Zuko struggled against his bounds, and he eventually freed one hand, which he used to light a fire and burn the living shadows, making them shrivel. Once he freed himself, he burned the shadows that bound the rest of the Gaang.

Reigo smiled, then covered her entire body in shadow. When the shadows dissipated, Zuko's shoulders tensed. Reigo had taken on the same form that he first saw her in, a young lady, no older than sixteen.

"Catch me if you can, cutie." Reigo said, winking at Zuko before sinking into shadow form and swimming off.

"She crossed the line! Let me at her!" Ischi said, cracking her knuckles and chasing after Reigo.

"Ischi, wait!" Zuko called, following his fiancé.

"I guess it's just you and me." Kohi said, shrugging at Khole. The two girls stood back-to-back as Reigo's two original associates cornered them on either side.

"Kohi, go thin the ranks. I've got these two." Khole said.

"You sure?" Kohi asked, with wariness in her voice.

"Positive. I can handle myself, even without my Waterbending."

Kohi nodded and jumped into the air, conjuring an Air Scooter beneath her and riding away.

The Shadowbenders that stood on either side of Khole lunged forward.

"Gotcha!" Khole said suddenly, ducking down and striking one Shadowbender's leg. A flash of white energy shot from Khole's fingers and spread into the Shadowbender. He found himself unable to stop himself and flew into his partner. They both crashed to the ground.

"Get off!" one Shadowbender growled.

"I can't move!" the other complained.

"My Energybending is lethal. There's almost nothing I can't do with it." Khole said, blowing her fingers before running off.

000

Zuko lost Ischi within the throng of fighting Benders. He wanted to keep looking for her, but felt compelled to help his nation. He stopped to fight off some Shadowbenders that were beating some Fire Nation soldiers.

"Prince Zuko! Where did you come from?" one Firebender panted when Zuko had run off the opposing Shadowbenders.

"No time to explain. Regroup with another batch of soldiers and cut a swath through the ranks. We said we were leading the Fire Nation to a glorious victory, and that's exactly what we're going to do!"

The soldiers saluted at Zuko's inspirational words and ran off to find another struggling group of Firebenders. Zuko ran off to continue to look for Ischi.

000

"Where are you, Reigo? Come out so I can thrash you! No one flirts with my fiancé and gets away without a bloody nose and swollen lip!" Ischi yelled, walking amongst the warring battles between the Earthbenders and the Shadowbenders.

"Ischi! My darling girl, Ischi!" yelled a familiar voice. Ischi turned around just in time to catch a full-on bear hug from her father. Ischi pushed him away.

"I'm still not talking to you." Ischi said coldly, turning away.

"Oh, come on, sweetie! I've turned a new leaf! I won't force the Avatar to learn the elements to defeat the Fire Nation anymore. Mostly because as far as I can see, we have a new threat." Bure said. "The Earth Kingdom has dropped the bounty on the Avatar's head, and we've lowered the bounty on the annoying Airbender and the Firebending rapscallion."

"Lowered?"

"-sigh- Alright, I'll drop their bounties, too. For you, Ischi."

"Thank you, Father." Ischi said, hugging Bure. "Now, let's go take out the Shadowbending trash!"

Ischi clenched her fists together. Rocks began to rise into the air and stick to her skin, creating rock armor.

Ischi ran into the multitude of fighting Earthbenders and Shadowbenders. Left and right, she smashed the faces of the Shadowbending adversaries, until the Shadowbenders who remained began to retreat.

"That's right, you pricks! You better run!"

As Ischi turned around to rejoin her father, a shadow crept up her leg, freezing Ischi in place.

The shadow spiraled up her thigh, wrapped around her waist, and twirled itself around her neck. The shadow felt hard and tight instead of soft and clammy. Ischi could hardly breathe.

"Looking for me?" asked Reigo's teenage voice.

The Shadowbender princess's head emerged from the binding shadow, smiling at Ischi, who was being choked, and therefore, unable to speak.

"Now that the first part of my mission has been completed, I can begin killing people directly. And I think I'll start with you."

"No you won't!"

Ischi turned her head with a smile. Reigo turned her head with a scowl.

Over the nearby hills, Meiya was glaring down at Reigo. The Shadowbender unraveled herself from Ischi, causing her to fall to her knees, panting.

"Ah, our guest of honor has finally arrived. You cannot stop me, Meiya. No one can."

"You want to bet on it?"

"I do, actually. However, I'm keeping myself from calling a bet. It just wouldn't be fair. And by that, I mean, it wouldn't be fair to YOU, especially considering your current state of appearance."

Meiya had dark red burn marks on her cheeks and parts of her bangs were scorched. Somehow, her hairrow was unharmed.

"My appearance doesn't matter right now, does it? Only I can stop you. Can you guess what comes next?"

"You defeat me, SOMEHOW find love and ride off into the sunset? In your dreams, wannabe."

Meiya was flustered to say the least. Reigo seemed to have two different personalities. She was calm and cool in adult form, but when she morphed into teenage form, her entire persona changed dramatically.

Nevertheless, Meiya was pissed. She held a tight grip on her glider-staff and leaped off of the hill she stood upon, raising her weapon in the air and preparing to begin the fight of her life.

**(A/N: Sorry that it took so long for me to update, but I've been a little discouraged about my life, lately. Sometimes, everything around you is just so unfair, you know? :'-(**

**Anyway, since the entire New Moon chapter is way too long to fit into my standard word limit, I'm splitting it up into two parts. The second part and the last chapter of Book One will be up as soon as possible. Please bear with me, I'm trying my best…)**


	10. New Moon Pt 2

**(A/N: Hello, loyal readers! This is the final, dramatic 'season finale' of Book One. Like the original Avatar series, the series has three 'books'. This is Book One: Shadows. The next season will by entitled Book Two: Energy. I am not allowed to tell you what the title of the third book is, because my publisher fears that it will give away too much. Hee hee! -^_^- You'll have to wait until the third book to find out what the book title is.**

**If you read my A/N last chapter, you'd know that I've been a little depressed as of yet. Here's a thank-you for jenniyan, whose kind reviews cheered me up a little! :)**

**Anyway, like all season finales, this will be the longest chapter yet. Hopefully, it will answer many questions. And it will definitely answer the biggest question of all so far, who are the Shadowbenders? So, before we begin, here's a little promo.**

**Water…**

**Khole: Gaang: The Next Generation! It has a nice ring to it!**

**Earth…**

**Ischi: When will I see you again, my prince?**

**Fire…**

**Zuko: I don't know, my princess. Hopefully soon…**

**Air…**

**Meiya: You wouldn't give me a second thought if I weren't the Avatar… It's all about being the Avatar…**

**And now…Shadows…**

**Reigo: We are the Shadowbenders... And we control this war…**

**The Four Nations are falling apart at their very seams, because of the world's most mysterious adversary yet, the Shadows. Nobody knows who these strange beings are, or where they came from…**

**Meiya: -pant, pant- Who the hell are you? How do you know who I am? How do you know our every move before we even make it?**

**…until now…**

**Reigo: It's quite simple, my dear, if you just give it a little imagination. But since you obviously don't have any, I'll humor you. I am Reigo. I come from…**

**Coming soon to a theater near you…**

**Zuko: That sounds familiar. Where have I heard that before?**

**…Avatar: Rise of the Shadowbenders… There's nothing to be afraid of…yet…**

**And that my series-regulation promo! ^^ Now, sit back and enjoy the season finale!)**

After a few minutes, wrapped up in helping his nation overcome the new threat, Zuko had all but forgotten about looking for Ischi. The more he walked around, the less of the Shadowbenders he was seeing.

Just when he thought that victory was certain, he looked up and saw that the giant moon portal began to churn again. Suddenly, the spherical portal spit up several more large shadow meteors, which barreled toward the earth. Like the first few meteors, when they got close to the Earth, they exploded into hundreds of smaller meteors that formed pools of shadow when they struck.

'Reinforcements? Or the second wave?' Zuko thought.

Zuko was shocked to see that instead of one, two people emerged from the shadow pool, one obvious Shadowbender, who held another man by the arm, wearing black and blue clothing. Zuko couldn't tell if it was an elite branch of Shadowbender soldier, or just weird fashion.

The Shadowbender let the man go and ran off. Zuko half-expected the strange man to transform into some hideously powerful beast, but in fact, he did something that Zuko found even more shocking.

The man arched his fingers toward the ground, and all of a sudden, water began to seep from the plants all around him. He was a Waterbender.

Several confusing questions ran through Zuko's head. Who was this man? How could he Waterbend in the presence of New Moon? Why was he with that Shadowbender? But most ominous of all, where exactly did that portal lead to?

Zuko pushed these questions to the back of his mind for now and refocused on his enemy. Zuko dully noted the bright charm he wore around each wrist. They weren't glowing before he began Waterbending.

The man quickly snapped his wrist toward Zuko. Bullets of water began to fire out of the main water body, freezing as they flew through the air.

Zuko raised a shield of fire that destroyed the ice bullets upon contact. Once the sharp jolts of pressure left his arms, he dropped the shield and launched a stream of fire from his hand, flash-burning the plants in front of the Waterbender and sending up a plume of smoke into his face. While the Waterbender was distracted, Zuko leaped into the smoke and tackled him to the ground.

"Why are you here?" was the first thing that Zuko demanded, twisting the man's arm behind him. "Answer me!"

"Do what you will to me! You'll never be able to stop the Shadow Clan now! It's far too late! The third and final wave should be arriving at any moment!" the man yelled.

"Soldier!" Zuko yelled to a nearby idle Firebender.

"Yes, sir?" the man asked.

"Take care of this one. I've got to find my father. I know it's against the Fire Nation principles, but if we're going to win this battle, we need the war machines." Zuko explained before running into the fray of battle again.

000

Khole ran through the battle, chi-blocking any and every Shadowbender she came across. She was doing great, as she was discovering less and less Shadowbenders to chi-block.

"We're winning! We're winning!" she yelled.

Suddenly, she saw the moon expel more shadow meteors and her jaw dropped.

"More? Oh, come on!"

She leaped backwards when a small meteor struck the ground in front of her. Two people rose out of the ground, one wearing all black, and the other wearing black and white. The man wearing all black let go of them man in front of him and ran into battle.

"You Shadowbenders are more colorful than I thought you were, but it doesn't make a difference to me." Khole said, running forward. "I'm still going to kick your-"

Khole was cut off by a wind-strengthened fist to the stomach, which blasted her backwards for several yards.

"No way! You're an Airbender? But that's impossible!"

Khole's opponent was silent and cold. He took a small brown metal rod from the sash he wore and pressed a button on its side. The rod extended into a long Bo staff, almost as tall as he was.

The man used his staff to fire powerful gusts of wind at Khole, who found it hard to dodge the projectiles and even harder to fight back. She couldn't even get close to the Airbender.

'If this one guy is giving me such a hard time, I can't imagine what everybody else must be going through.' Khole thought.

One unlucky blast from her opponent's staff struck Kohi on the leg and caused her to kneel on the other leg, unable to dodge anything anymore.

The Airbender raised his staff to finish the job, but before he could end Khole's life, a dais of land suddenly shot up under the Airbender's feet and launched him into the sky.

"Ischi!" Khole sighed with relief. "Thank goodness. I think my leg is broken."

Ischi lifted Khole's pant leg and looked at the warped, purple bruise on Khole's thigh.

"That's definitely broken. We have to get you back to the Bison. I don't think that we're going to beat this second wave." Ischi said worriedly, picking Khole up and running toward the hills where they left their airship.

000

Kohi wasn't faring any better against the second wave. The strange adversaries that could somehow bend the other elements were too difficult to fight, so Kohi ended up running away for the most part. She found higher elevation and stayed low so no one would notice her. Kohi naturally glanced around at what was going on below her, but she gasped when she saw Meiya battling with Reigo nearby. Unable to do anything to help, Kohi could do nothing but watch.

000

Meiya breathed in and out slowly, trying not to pant. Reigo had barely broken a sweat.

"Oh, come now. Is this really the power of the Avatar? I thought you had your four elements on your side. Did you decide to divide and conquer? If so, how's that working out?"

'She's trying to make me angry. And it's working.' Meiya thought, clenching her teeth.

"I can't believe that someone so powerful would be this weak. Maybe you're not motivated enough. Here's some incentive. Don't you want to know what happened to your father and sister?"

Meiya gasped. "Y-You killed them, didn't you? With…with the rest of my temple-mates."

"Wrong. Those two were the only ones I didn't kill. I still have plans for them. But, once I AM done with them, they'll have wished that I did kill them."

"Tell me where they are, now!" Meiya screamed.

"You don't deserve such information. If you're not strong enough to defeat me, what makes you think that you are strong enough to defeat the forces that bound the family?"

Meiya growled, her breathing becoming hard and rapid. Her hairrow, eyes and tattoos began to glow bright white, and powerful gales began to whip around her and Reigo.

"Go on, Meiya! Release all of your inner rage and inner grief! Assume the Dark Avatar State!"

As if on cue, Meiya's evil personality overshadowed her positive one and her glowing features turned from bright white to blood red.

'Wait!' yelled a voice within Meiya's head. The Dark Avatar frowned.

'We're on the same side! We both have the same enemy! Let me help you!'

__

'How could you possibly help me?'

Dark Meiya asked

.

'Even though your brain is working at full capacity, you're not using it, no offense. I can work our brain and use instant recall to give you the ability to use the other three elements! We can beat her if we work together! I have the brain, you have the brawn!'

__

'Humph! Fine. A one-time truce.'

Light Meiya began to work through every nook and cranny of the brain. First the memory banks, where she found memories of Ischi Earthbending and Zuko Firebending. She took those memories and analyzed them thoroughly. Then, she delivered the analyzed memories to the front of the brain: instant recall.

Outside the brain, once the memories reached instant recall, Dark Meiya smiled and stomped on the ground, causing a ravaging fissure to tear through the ground toward Reigo.

"What? Impossible!" she gasped, leaping into the air and out of the way.

Dark Meiya pulled toward herself, and a gale of wind slammed into Reigo's back, sending her flying toward Meiya.

Dark Meiya took one step back and lunged forward with both hands extended, expelling a plume of fire which hit Reigo spot-on.

The young Shadowbender stood and covered herself in shadow. The shadow blob grew, and when it dissipated, Reigo was her regular, adult self.

"Alright, then, Meiya. It's time to get serious." she said calmly.

000

Zuko tried his best to help the Fire Nation soldiers fight off the new threat of Elite Benders that were affiliated with the Shadow Clan, but even with his help, the Fire Nation was being steadily pushed back.

"Father!" Zuko called, noticing Fire Lord Houja fighting alongside the army.

"Zuko? Zuko, is that you?" Houja asked. "What happened? Where did you run off to?"

"I had urgent business. I'm traveling with the Avatar now, but that's not important. We need the war machines."

Houja was physically shocked. "The war machines? Are you insane? Those weapons haven't been used since the Century War! They were the bane of the Fire Nation, and even now, they're a constant reminder of our previously barbaric people. Besides, if we use them now, in the climax of this battle, many innocents will get hurt or even killed!"

"It's the only way! If we retreat, we'll have given the Shadow Clan what they want, and if we keep trying to fight without the machines, many innocents will die anyway! An enemy told me that the biggest wave yet is already past due. Any moment now, this battlefield will be flooded with Shadowbenders and their Elites."

Houja's face darkened with gloom.

"That's right, father. If we don't deploy the war machines now, no one could escape here alive."

Houja thought long and hard. "Alright. I'll send for the machines."

"Thank you, father. I owe you one." Zuko said before running back to join the fight.

Houja called for one of his men.

"Report back to New Zuko. Tell our commander to send in the machines, no questions."

"Y-Yes, sir." the soldier stammered, running in the opposite direction.

000

"I guess this can be considered ironic." Khole said as Ischi carried her over the hills and away from the battlefield.

"How so?"

"Well, a couple of days ago, we had switched roles. You were the one who was injured and I helped you out."

"Returning the favor, I guess."

"Now, we need to find Zuko, Kohi, and Meiya so we can get the heck out of here. I feel this weird chill in the air, like it's not over yet."

"Hey, guys! Guys!"

"That's Kohi!" Khole said, recognizing her voice.

"Guys, Meiya's fighting Reigo in her Dark Avatar State!"

"Oh no, we have to find her before she hurts herself!"

"No, no! She's awesome! I don't know what's going on in Meiya's head, but it looks like she's in some kind of control of herself! She's winning!"

"Wow! That's amazing! Where is she?"

"Just over the hill there. Come on, I'll show-"

Kohi stopped suddenly when she heard a low groaning sound, the sound of moving steel.

"Oh, man… Guys, look up there." Ischi whispered with shock.

In the sky, the giant moon that had been pulled into the Earth's atmosphere began to rumble violently. Suddenly, more shadow meteors than ever before exploded from the moon and began to fly toward the ground, but the moon continued to rumble, and the sound of shifting metal continued to pierce the air. The source of this metal sound, however, was something that the Gaang never expected.

Slowly, something large, shiny, and metallic began to protrude from the lunar vortex. It was purely indescribable. The gargantuan machine was roughly cone-shaped, supported near the rear by a loose cylinder, which allowed it to rotate like a top. The peak of the machine had a large, ribbed hole, like a cannon. Four smaller cannons lined the machine on its cardinal points. A blackened sun emblem was painted on its side, showing that it was a Shadow Clan machine.

"What in the world is that?" Kohi gasped.

"Whatever it is, it can't be good."

000

Zuko looked up at the metal monstrosity that protruded from the moon portal, and all he could do was gape in shock.

"Impossible. It can't be. T-This just can't be true…"

-flashback-

__

Fire Lord Houja was sitting in his study, looking through various scrolls and papers.

"Father?" asked a small child's voice. Houja turned and smiled when he saw a young Zuko standing in the doorway.

"Yes, Zuko? What do you need?"

"I wanted to show you this. It's a design for a machine."

Zuko lifted the crude drawing of a cone-shaped device up to his father.

"It's a super-huge fire blaster. The hole on the front fires a big ball of fire, and the four guns on the sides fire smaller blasts of fire. No one would mess with us if we made this!"

Houja chuckled. "You're right, Zuko. If something like this were to be made, no one would bully the Fire Nation. But, something of this scale were to be made, we'd upset the balance again. The Fire Nation has turned over a new leaf. We've given up on the use of war machines."

"Then why do we still make them?"

"To protect ourselves and to protect the other three nations. We make machines that aren't used for war and give them to others, but machines that are meant for war are kept to us, for protection. Of course, these weapons would never be used to senselessly destroy others."

-end flashback-

"That's…my design…But, how? This shouldn't be possible. I doodled that machine ten years ago. How?"

Zuko felt severely lightheaded. He almost toppled over where he stood. He was snapped back to attention by the billowing of smoke from above. He looked behind him and saw the Fire Nation war machines piling over the hill.

Tension rose into Zuko's throat, so much that he really did topple over, becoming extremely dizzy from everything that was happening.

"Zuko!" yelled a familiar voice. Zuko sat up and looked around.

"Up here!"

Zuko looked to the sky and saw the airship floating down toward him.

"We have to go, Zuko. There's no way we can beat the Shadow Clan like this. Let's find Meiya and get out of here." Ischi called. Zuko nodded and leaped into the wooden Sky Bison before it took off again.

000

It was a surreal appearance for something so threatening as the Dark Avatar State to show a look of horror, but that's what was thrown across Meiya's face as the giant machine emerged from the moon.

"Ah, there it is at last. The object of your world's destruction: the Judgment Scale." Reigo said. "But, Meiya? If I were you, I'd focus more on the object of YOUR destruction."

Meiya turned around to battle again, but she was too slow. A powerful fist to the stomach sent Meiya reeling.

"This is my favorite way to win battles." Reigo said, lifting her hands and pointing them at Meiya. Suddenly, shadows from all around her flew forward into Meiya's mouth. Finally, Reigo herself melted into shadow and flew into Meiya as well.

The intense pain made Meiya's eyes literally wobble. The shadows were having their way with her insides. She collapsed to the ground, almost blacking out.

"And now…" Reigo said, making Meiya throw up all of the shadows she was force-fed. From those shadows, Reigo stood over Meiya's trembling body. She tried to stand, but Reigo was having none of it, she stomped on Meiya's neck to keep her on the ground.

"Did you really think you could win, Meiya? I know everything about you five. Although it was unexpected how the Earth Princess survived the hand of history, it matters not. Everything I did led up to this. I started the war, I screwed with your minds, and it was by my design that neither the Water Tribe nor the Air Nomads participate in this battle. That way, it was certain that I would come out on top. I know everything, Meiya.

Meiya managed to wheeze lowly.

"-pant, pant- Who the hell are you? How do you know who I am? How do you know our every move before we even make it?"

Reigo chuckled amusedly.

"It's quite simple, my dear, if you just give it a little imagination. But since you obviously don't have any, I'll humor you. I am Reigo. I come from… You know what, no, I won't humor you." Reigo said as she shadow-morphed to her younger form.

"THINK A LITTLE! I know every move you make before you make it. I know exactly who you are without having met you before! Surprisingly enough, even your stupid little friend guessed it right!"

Light Meiya, who was within the brain, thought hard.

-flashback-

__

"Whatever Reigo's source was, it told her that I would die at Fire Fountain City, but I didn't and she doesn't know that I'm still alive. She's continuing on her course as if I were dead! Just think about it! She took the Sky Bison and we were arrested. If she had her way, Meiya would come back to Ba Sing Se, tell my father that I had died, she and the others would be captured, I'd be dead and unable to free you, and you'd still be trapped in Ba Sing Se. Reigo doesn't know this, so she thinks that her mission is over and that she can relax until the mothership comes to find her."

"Makes sense, except for one thing. How would Reigo know all of this?"

"Ooh! Ooh! Because she's from the future!" Kohi said.

-end flashback-

"No…" was all Meiya could whisper.

"Yes! I'm from the future! That answers one book-long question! Now here's some other ones for the second season. You know where I'm from. Check one. Here are the the next questions on your test. WHO am I? You know my identity, but you have no idea WHO I am, and trust me, it'll blow your mind. Next question, where are your family members? Well, that should be a no-brainer, but I'll leave you to figure it out. Final question, and this is the money-maker, who is my mother? She runs this war, she ran this invasion, and she runs that machine. And those are your Three Questions **(A/N: If you understood that reference, you're awesome! ^^)**. Now, before I leave, a little consolation prize."

Reigo raised two fingers on her left hand. Dark, powerful energy gathered onto those raised fingers.

"This will make sure that you never stray from your correct course." Reigo said, shooting her fingers into the small of Meiya's back. A searing, unbearable pain exploded throughout Meiya's entire body. All she could do was scream-roar under the weight of Reigo's foot.

When Reigo removed her fingers, Meiya was left twitching on the ground. Her hairrow and tattoos were flickering violently, and Meiya was gagging and gasping.

"Goodbye, Meiya. I'll see you soon enough." Reigo said, sinking into the ground before swimming away.

Meiya sat in burning pain on the ground until she felt wind against her face. She looked up as much as she can, and saw the Sky Bison landing beside her.

"Oh no! Meiya!" yelled Kohi's voice. The apprentice Airbender leaped from the Sky Bison and ran to Meiya's side.

"What's wrong with her? Her features are flickering!"

"Ischi, kneel me next to her." Khole said. Ischi nodded and put Khole down beside Meiya. She felt along her back and pulled her hand back quickly.

"Something is blocking her chakras. I can't get rid of what's blocking it, but I can move it so I can clear her chakra paths.

Khole began to tap various places on Meiya's back.

"Here we go." Khole whispered, raising the same two fingers that Reigo used, only on her right hand. Golden, glowing energy gathered on her fingers. Khole lightly tapped her glowing fingers on Meiya's back, sending the golden energy pulsing through her body.

Meiya felt calmed by the warm, 'soft' energy. Utterly exhausted by her day, Meiya passed out.

"Now, let's get out of here." Khole said. Ischi picked Khole back up again and Kohi dragged Meiya into the airship.

"Fire!" yelled a vague voice from far away. Suddenly, the large machine in the sky became active, whirring and groaning like a monster. Suddenly, a concentrated ball of fire shot out of the west cannon, hitting the ground and exploding spectacularly.

"Go! Go! Go! We don't want to be caught in that!" Ischi yelled.

Kohi worked the controls as fast as she could, lifting the airship into the air and flying away as fast as she could. As the Gaang looked back, they saw other elemental balls flying from the machine and ravaging the battlefield.

"So, what do we do now?" Zuko asked.

"I don't know yet. Meiya would know what to do." Khole said.

"Maybe we should just hide it out. This seems out of our league." Kohi suggested.

"We're in too deep now. There's no escaping this."

"Well, one thing is certain. Meiya has to learn the other three elements as quickly as possible."

"You're right. I guess we should go to the Southern Water Tribe. My home should be unaffected by what's happening. We can get a good rest and restart." Khole said.

The Sky Bison continued to cruise through the air, southbound.

000

"Help!"

"Help! Please, somebody help us!"

Naga and Suni yelled out from their prison cell in a dark and desolate world.

"There's no need to yell. No one else is here. No one is coming to rescue you." said a stony voice. A robed woman stepped up to the cell door.

"What are you going to do with us?"

"I'm not going to do anything. You two are nothing but bait for the real star. And once she arrives, my ultimate victory will be sealed.

"Freeze! Stop right there! Hey!" yelled angry voices. The woman turned and saw a young girl run past her, followed by several Shadowbenders.

"Catch her! She's headed for the portal!"

The woman sighed, then sunk into the shadows, following the pack of guards.

"Almost there! Almost there!" the girl panted to herself.

"Almost isn't good enough." said the woman as she rose in front of the girl.

"No, but THIS is!"

The girl took a small pouch out of her pocket and threw it on the ground. A large flash of light shot into the air, blinding the woman and allowing the girl to sidestep past her and jump through the portal.

"Master, she could alter the course of history!" one Shadowbender said.

"Don't worry about her. I'm sure that Reigo will keep her from doing anything too harmful. Get back to your posts. I'm awaiting a battle report at any time now."

The guards saluted, then turned and walked back.

"Meiya…Hm hm hm… I anxiously await your company." the woman said with a knowing smile.

**(A/N: And that's that! Now, A:RotS will be on a short hiatus for now, like most series. Leve your reviws and tell me what you think! And here's something you can do for me! In your review, tell me which character(s) you want to see more of! I'll try to squeeze your choices into the story if I can. And don't be afraid to suggest ideas for the story, because I'm drawing a blank for about half of Season Two -^_^- See you next time! ;-))**


	11. A Lil' Experiment

I decided to try this to see how it would work out. It's a little social experiment for the cast of A:RotS. After every season, I'm going to have the cast answer questions from the readers! Now, this is not the Avatar World, so we're all on equal ground here, right guys?

Meiya: Whatever.

Kohi: Sounds fun!

Ischi: I concur.

Zuko: I guess.

Khole: Mm hmm!

Reigo:…

Me: Come on, Reigo. Don't be like this. Don't forget that I made you. I can UN-make you any time now.

Reigo: Fine, I'm in.

Me: Alrighty, then! Send in your best questions and inquiries! And don't worry about offending anybody. The cast HAS to answer you, no matter how saucy the question is!

Meiya: Jeez, why don't you tell them they can punch us in our faces?

Me: Be nice, Meiya. Alright, readers! SEND YOUR QUESTIONS!


	12. ProSeason Q&A 1

Welcome back to Pro-Season Q&A! We got lots of good questions from the readers, and we're ready to answer them, right guys?

All:…

Me: I'll take that as a big YES! Okay, our first questions are for Meiya!

Meiya: Oh joy.

Me: First question from TeamAvatar. What does it feel like when the Dark Avatar State takes over?

Meiya: Good question! Next question, please.

Me: Meiya…

Meiya: -sigh- Fine. It's a three-step process. First, it's agonizing spasms of unbearable pain. Secondly, I feel a strange, warm fuzzy feeling in my chest and inner thigh area, and- Can I alter my answer a little? That sounded way too weird.

Me: Sorry, Meiya. It's already been said.

Meiya: -grumble- Lastly, it just feels like someone is snapping my neck, skull, arms, legs, and spinal cord 32 times each, all at once.

Me: Thank you, Meiya. Next question-

Kohi: She already had a question! Let's do this in a round. Meiya, Kohi, Ischi, Zuko, Khole, Reigo.

Reigo: Why am I last?

Kohi: Villains are always last.

Me: True enough.

Reigo: In the story, I'm kicking all of your butts! I should be the one going FIRST!

Me: Kohi, here's your question from TeamAvatar. What makes you so eccentric?

Kohi: Hmm… I've been eccentric for as long as I can remember. I can't remember anything of my past since I was six, however. My parents told me I was dropped on my head at about that time, but I can't feel any scars or stitches. They told me that until that point, I was kind of quiet and withdrawn. I don't believe them though!

Meiya: Then why do I? And I haven't even met your parents.

Kohi: Hey! That's mean, Meiya!

Meiya: -shrugs-

Me: Next question's for Ischi from TeamAvatar. What do you think was the peak of you and Zuko's relationship? After Ischi answers, Zuko will have the same question.

Ischi: I like this question! Zuko and I have never had many downs, but out of all of our ups, I think my favorite was-

Ischi and Zuko: The day we first met.

Ischi: -gasp- You think so, too, Zuko?

Zuko: Of course I do. (dreamily): I'll never forget the moment when I first looked deep into your beautiful blue eyes.

Ischi (dreamily): I'll never forget the first time I gazed into your sharp, mysterious, golden-brown eyes.

Zuko: Oh, Ischi… -leans in closer-

Ischi: Oh, Zuko… -leans in closer-

Meiya: Oh, gross! Get a room! This story is rated T!

Me: Okay, then! Next question for Zuko individually, from TeamAvatar. What happened with that fight between you and-

Zuko (hatefully): HOW MANY TIMES TO WE HAVE TO GO THROUGH THIS? IT WAS A #!%ING ACCIDENT! NEXT QUESTION!

Me: Uh…okay, for Khole, from TeamAvatar. How do you feel about the rest of the Gaang members?

Khole: I love them all, of course! Even though I haven't known her for very long, I love my big sister, Meiya!

Me: Um, you two aren't sisters…

Khole: Huh? Of course we are! You said in chapter two that Katara was my great-grandmother!

Me: Yeah, I was…misinformed. Suki is actually your great-grandmother and Sokka is your great-grandfather.

Khole: WHAT? HOW IS THIS POSSIBLE?

Me: Well, let's see-

Khole: I CAN'T EVEN LOOK AT MYSELF ANYMORE! WHERE'S THE NEAREST PLASTIC SURGEON?

-Khole stands and runs out of the room, crying-

Me: Ooookay… Next question for Reigo from TeamAvatar. Why do you switch personalities when you change forms?

Reigo: It's a side effect. **(A/N: PAY ATTENTION TO EVERYTHING REIGO SAYS! THIS ANSWER SETS UP PART OF SEASON TWO!)** Whenever I switch to a different form, I adopt a little of the personality of the person I morph into. Since I'm morphing into myself I can't just use a little of my own personality, so I use it all. I was rude and sarcastic in my youth. (whispered): I think I just gave myself an idea…)

Me: Nice explanation, Reigo! Now we're looping back around to Meiya again. This question is from jenniyan! Do you miss your sister, Suni? Colon-Parentheses

Meiya: What kind of a question is that? Of course I miss Suni! But Reigo won't tell me where she is!

Reigo: -pretends to zip lips-

Meiya: And what is Colon-Parentheses? I don't get that.

Me: On to Kohi! From jenniyan! What does it feel like to ride a metal air bison? Isn't it all hard and uncomfortable? D and Colon.

Kohi: D and Colon?

Me: Go with it.

Kohi: Um, okay them. (whispers to Meiya): Should we tell her that the Sky Bison airship is made out of wood?

Meiya (whispers): Nah. Each reader has their own vision of the story. We shouldn't mess with that.

Kohi: Alright then. As for how it feels? It's sort of a…fictional uncomfortable-ness. It's not the Bison. It's the crap that occasionally goes on IN the Bison that makes my uncomfortable. Especially when Meiya stops using reason. Fortunately, she seems to have gotten past that.

Meiya: Hmph!

Kohi: But other than that, it's AWESOME!

Me: Well said, Kohi. Next question is for Zuko from jenniyan!

Ischi: Hey! They skipped over me!

Me: You'll get another chance, I promise.

Ischi: Hmph!

Me: Okay, Zuko. Do you have as many fangirls as your ancestor? Colon and P

Zuko: Your readers have a weird language. Anyway, do I have fangirls? The simple answer is yes.

Ischi: Oh, Zuko. Don't just give them the simple answer. Do you find these fangirls…interesting?

Zuko: What do you mean interesting? As in me being attracted to them?

Ischi: -nods and squints-

Zuko: Well, of course some (most) of them are attractive (smoking' hot), but like a wise man once said, they've got nothing on you, baby.

Ischi: Aw! That means so much coming from you! -hugs Zuko and kisses him on the cheek-

Reigo: Did you just quote Bruno Mars?

Zuko: UH, let me finish my answer, please. Heh heh. Some fans are a little more…involved, then others.

Ischi: Involved?

Zuko: I get strange gifts occasionally. It's not uncommon for fangirls to send me their…delicates. I think the strangest gift had to be on my sixteenth birthday, when a fangirl somehow snuck into my room, took off all of her clothes and tied herself to my bed, with ribbons tied around her…personal areas. She also scribbled, 'HAPPY BIRTHDAY ZUKO' on her stomach.

Ischi: Wow… That is strange…

Me: Too strange to continue. Next question for Khole!

Meiya: She left, remember?

Me: Oh, yeah. I guess we can skip on to Reigo. Jenniyan asks: Have you ever been in love? Did he leave you because you're so scary? Is that why you're so mean? D and Colon.

Reigo: Do I have to answer that?

Me: Answer it or I'm ending the entire story right here and now. You'll all disappear and never come back.

Reigo: Why do you guys call me scary? SHE'S the one who's scary! -points at me- You have no idea how many times she's threatened to KILL me!

Me: ANSWER THE QUESTION!

Reigo: Alright, fine! Before I came to take over the past with my mother, I had a couple of good lovers. I can fondly remember all the times we used to-

Meiya: Did anyone forget my saying that this was a T-rated story?

Reigo: Fine! Let's just leave it at 'I had a couple of good lovers.' and continue.**(A/N: This time, Reigo's answer is a shout-out to two helpful reviewers! Let's see if they can spot the shouts!)** The first time I fell in love was when I was sixteen. We went out for a few months, made love a couple of times, and I was certain that he was going to propose to me, until I caught him cheating on me with a WATERBENDER!

I found out later that her name was Arisu, and I was truly heartbroken and swore that I would never love again. I forgot about my own promise eventually and tried romance again when I was about seventeen. That one was even worse than the first time. While me and my beau were having dinner, another slightly older girl walked up and literally stole him from me! I have to admit, she was smooth and silver-tongued. A real wordbender. That's probably why I didn't protest. After that, I never fell in love again. For real this time.

Kohi: Wow. That's so sad, Reigo. I didn't know you had a heart, or a soul.

Me: True enough. Now, those are all of the direct questions, so now we're going to answer a few INDIRECT unanswered questions that were asked during the story.

One is from TeamAvatar: How is Meiya going to learn Waterbending without the Sky Bison to get to the Northern Water Tribe?

Meiya: Well, that's the least of my problems now. I have the Bison, but the NWT is out of the picture, so the question becomes, 'How am I going to learn Waterbending?' You'll find out soon. Semicolon-Parentheses.

Me: Well said! Next unanswered question from H'ng Eng Heong to Reigo in the Prologue: lol. Is the 'device' a more ancient form of dynamite?

Reigo: -morphs to teenage form- Gee, what clued you in, genius? The fact that it exploded or the fact that we had to light it? Nice screen name by the way.

Kohi: Reigo! That's so mean!

Reigo: I know. -morphs back to adult-

Me: Okay, next unanswered question from imawordbender: I know that you needed to get Zuko over to FFC somehow, but it just seems so far-fetched (and a pretty obvious plot device) that he "couldn't" give his father the warning even after the twins screwed it up. Why not? It made no sense.

Zuko: That's one of the best questions we've had so far! And a really tough one, too. Now, as you may have seen in the season finale, my father, Houja is very stubborn. He doesn't do anything or change his mind unless he's given a very good reason. At the time, to be truthful, I didn't have a good reason why we shouldn't go to FFC.

The twins had my note, which was my only means for self-support in my case. With nothing to back myself up with, there was no way my father would listen to me. Plus, in the back of my mind, I was so mad at my sisters that I actually hoped that they'd be captured by the Earth Kingdom. Of course, I regret that kind of thinking now. I hope that's a good answer.

Me: Well said! Well, that seems to be all of the questions, but before we go, imawordbender has thrown the gauntlet down on Reigo.

Reigo: Hmm?

Me: imawordbender claims she knows who you and your mother really are.

Reigo: Heh heh heh! Oh, really now? Well, take a little guess, by all means! I promise you that you'll never get it right.

Me: This challenge isn't just for imawordbender. Everybody can participate. Send in who you think the identity of Reigo and her mother is! Whoever gets it right-

Reigo: And I PROMISE you won't!

Me: -will win an AWESOME PRIZE (that I will have to think up, but if you have something that you want to do for the story, be sure to let me know!) See you all next time! And be sure to send in your questions for the next Pro-Season Q&A!


	13. Book Two, Chapter 1: Chaos

**(A/N: BUM BUM! It's here! The season premiere of Book Two: Energy! Now, this book will be SIGNIFICANTLY longer than Book One or Three will be, because we will follow Meiya and Co. on their journey to learn the other three elements. Now, since this Book is going to be long, being serious throughout the entire season will just be drab and boring. So, here's another little experiment I'm going to try. **

**Throughout the season, I will be accepting requests for FILLER CHAPTERS! Chapters that are off the beaten path, for comedic relief or to gaze into the minds of our intrepid adventurers. Now, before we begin, I just want to remind everyone to send in their best questions for the cast to answer in the ProSeason Q&A that I'm holding at the end of the book. One more thing! I'd like to thank TeamAvatar and Nicoleintechnicolor for helping me shape about the first half of the season! Now, enough of my chatter! Get to reading! ^^)**

_Water…Earth…Fire…Air…_

_Shadows…_

_Long ago, after the Century War, there was peace. That peace lasted for five-hundred years, until WE arrived. The Shadowbenders. The doom-bringers. They believe we came to destroy their present, but all we're here for is to preserve our future. And if that means destroying their present in the process? Hm hm… So be it._

_But, there are those who would feebly stand in our way: the Avatar, a young Airbender named Meiya, her 'comedic' ally Kohi, Fire Prince Zuko II, Earth Princess Ischi Bei Fong, and an apprentice Beast Pacifier, Khole. They believe that if they can alter the present, they can change the future. They would be wrong._

_We are feared across the span of space and time, and the reason, to us is unknown. We are only visitors, aliens to your world. There is nothing to be afraid of…_

_Yet…_

000

"Meiya… Meiya… Please… Help me…"

The young Avatar threw her eyes open, only to remain suspended in darkness.

"Who's there?" Meiya asked.

"They are killing me… They are killing the moon. Help me, Meiya. You are my only hope."

"Show yourself, immediately!" Meiya said warily.

Suddenly, the silhouette of another person began to appear. When it came closer, a light seemed to come on and illuminate the woman's face. Meiya gasped.

"Yue? You're the personification of the moon." Meiya realized.

"Yes, and I am in deep anguish. You have seen what the Shadow Clan has done to the moon, no?"

"I have, but it's only New Moon. It should disappear by next week."

"You are wrong. The moon has been forever tainted. The sky will be forever black. The ocean will be forever-"

"What are you talking about?"

"The moon has been frozen with Shadowbending. They have stripped it of its power, and me of mine. If something is not done soon, Waterbending could become extinct."

"What can I do to help?"

"You must find a way to restore the moon's power. And soon. Many lives depend on it. Please, Meiya. You're our only hope."

Yue closed her eyes and began to sink back into the shadows.

000

Meiya threw her eyes open for the second time, noting that both times, she never remembered closing her eyes in the first place.

Instinctively, she sat straight up.

Meiya looked around and saw that everybody else was asleep and that the Sky Bison was set for autopilot. She looked up and dully noted that it was still nighttime.

"Is anybody awake?" Meiya whispered. "Kohi? Ischi? Zuko?"

Kohi was curled up in a ball near the rear of the Bison's 'saddle'. Ischi was snoring softly in Zuko's arms near the controls. Meiya gasped softly when she heard a yawn.

"Morning, Meiya." Khole said with half-closed, unfocused eyes.

"Morning? It's still nighttime."

"Impossible. I set my body clock to wake me up at exactly 7:04 A.M. The sun should be fully in the sky by now."

"Just look. The sky is still pitch-black."

Khole rubbed her eyes and blinked, then looked at the sky.

"Whoa! Guys! Wake up! Something's really wrong!"

Ischi's eyes fluttered open, but she couldn't move because of Zuko's soft but firm grip around her waist. Kohi shot up like a rocket, almost falling out of the Bison.

Zuko was the last to awaken. He took his arms from around Ischi's waist and sat up.

"It should be morning, but look! No sun!" Khole panicked.

"Wrong. There's the sun." Kohi said, pointing at a small white spot in the sky.

"It's the Shadowbenders. They've tainted the moon." Meiya said, remembering the vision she had. "New Moon is no longer just a lunar phase. It's the Shadowbenders' symbol of power. As long as it hangs in the sky, I don't think anybody can Waterbend."

"The balance has been upset greatly. If Waterbending becomes extinct, there's no telling what could happen to the rest of the world." Ischi said. "We must restore the source quickly."

"Chaos!" Zuko yelled, looking over the edge of the Bison.

"Yes, chaos is a strong possibility if we don't do something."

"No, CHAOS! Look down there!"

Ischi furled her eyebrows and looked over the edge of the ship. Her heart stopped and she didn't even have enough breath to gasp horrifically.

The Sky Bison was flying over a huge construction site, and what was being constructed was a thing of legend.

It was a huge battleship, almost ten times larger than the warships used in the Century War. Down below, The Shadow Clan's elites Benders were working diligently on it. Elite Firebenders were welding more metal onto the warship's 'skeleton'. Other elites were using artificial Waterbending to cool the glowing white steel. Earthbenders moved the heavy chunks of metal up to the construction sites. Airbenders worked with the upper construction and the deck of the ship.

Painted crudely in bright red on the side of the ship was what Zuko was referring to. The colossal warship was christened 'Chaos', but it seemed as if the design wasn't complete.

"My goodness. That thing is just as scary as the one in the sky." Ischi murmured. "Fortunately, it doesn't look like it'll be completed for a long time."

Zuko still trembled, with his teeth clenched.

"Zuko? What's the matter? Don't tell me-"

"It's another one of my designs. This one wasn't warfare-based, though. I designed it two years ago to be a luxury liner named 'Crucible'. It was an amazing idea that was one drawback away from going into production. The Fire Nation was decades away from having enough raw material to craft such a vessel."

"But why didn't they build this thing in the future so it would be completed faster?" Kohi asked.

"Because they'd have to bring it through the moon portal, and it would be next to impossible to get that thing out of the sky and into the water in one piece. Even I can see that it would be much more productive to bring their raw material from the future and build that ship here." Meiya explained. "All of it probably happened while we were asleep."

"But why? The Shadowbenders are already poised to take over the world. Why do they need so much firepower?"

"They know we're going to fight back. They've lived through this already. They're setting up for the worst, because the future has already been altered more than enough times for them. They're getting wary."

By the time their conversation had finished, the Sky Bison had silently passed over the construction sight and was far away from it. Meiya took one more ominous look at it before it sank below the horizon.

000

Back at the battlefield, Houja stared on with melancholy as the war machines tore through the field, smogging up the air with smokestacks that pumped out large wafts of the oily fog every second.

"Ah, Fire Lord. It is truly an honor to finally meet you." said a smooth, cold voice. Houja turned to see Reigo standing behind him.

"You! You are the instigator behind all of this!"

"Guilty as charged. But don't worry about that right now. Worry about the soldiers I just sent down to New Zuko. I'm sure they'll give your wife and twins a warm reception."

Houja reacted instantly and bolted past Reigo.

"Don't worry. Someone will meet you there." Reigo said, slowly sinking into the ground and shadow-swimming away, toward the battlefield.

The Fire Lord ran over the small hills above the battlefield that got larger as he moved up. Once he reached the peak, his worst fears were realized.

A battle was going on in New Zuko. Civilians were running and screaming, and the soldiers were being pushed back toward the palace.

"Come on! Come on! Where is it?" Houja grumbled, sifting through the grass until his hands struck metal. He grabbed the small metal door valve and twisted it before lifting it out of the ground, revealing a hidden entranceway.

Houja leaped down into the hole, closing it behind him.

**(A/N: To prevent any confusion, let me clarify. Houja is actually using an escape route which is supposed to lead from the palace throne room to where he's entering, but it works the other way since he's trying to get INTO the palace.)**

000

At the end of the entranceway, Houja kicked a square indention in the wall, causing the entire wall to flip forward and Houja to fall into the palace throne room.

"Houja!" cried a female voice.

"Ara!" Houja gasped when he saw the state his wife was in.

Her hair was in shambles and there were cuts on her face and arms. Her hands were bound behind her by a tall man with cold, icy blue eyes behind square glasses and streaming white hair.

"Ah, the Fire Lord. I assume that this lovely rose is your spouse?"

"Cheap move, whoever you are. Step away from my wife and we can settle this man-to-man."

"The name is Kaizu by the way. You may know my older sister, who assigned me the honor of seizing this capital, bless her soul."

"I don't care about you or the other woman. You are messing with my family, my country! And I can never forgive that!"

Houja tensed his arm and aimed it at Kaiza, extending two fingers, the stance for the most powerful bending extension in the world, Stormbending. **(A/N: Lightningbending was too long to use.)**

"Ah, ah, ah. Temper, temper, Houja. You don't want to miss and injure this young lady, do you Fire Lord?"

"Take the shot, Houja! Don't worry about me!" Ara pleaded.

The distressed Fire Lord's arm began to tremble.

"I'm fine, Houja! The country is much more important than my safety. Zuko is safe with the Avatar and the twins are in the panic chamber with the other young ones. Nothing is wrong. Take the shot and preserve the balance as much as you can."

Houja's arm stopped trembling. He nodded, then breathed in, charging blue electricity from his body to his hand. Ara began to breath heavily, frightened out of her mind. Kaizu remained clam and poised, almost daring Houja to strike.

'Focus… Focus… Focus…' Houja repeated in his mind.

"Note, Fire Lord, that if I do decide to use your lover as a human shield, you'll have mustered all of that focus for naught." Kaizu said, gripping Ara's shoulder.

Houja clenched his teeth, squinted, then fired a thin beam of electric energy from his fingers.

Kaizu smiled and lifted Ara in front of him.

The Fire Lady squeezed her eyes shut.

The electric beam stayed on its path, shooting right past Kaizu and Ara's heads and instead, reflecting off of an ornamental shield on the other side of the room and redirecting the beam toward Kaizu's back.

The Shadow Prince stomped on the ground behind him and a wall of shadow quickly rose to counter the beam.

"Very clever, Fire Lord. It seems that simple candid methods will not be enough to break you." Kaizu said, throwing Ara to the side. "I'd prefer not to use Shadow Fire, but if you are so determined to stop me, I will happily oblige. This is your last chance to walk out of here with your wife and live happily never after in the shadow of your fallen country. You've failed, Houja. Unless you think you can defeat me. Which would be a waste of time since I already know the outcome."

"Ara, find the panic chamber and get all of the children to an escape sub."

"What? You're not coming with me?"

"I have business here."

"Please, don't die, Houja…" Ara blubbered.

"I promise you, I won't. And I always keep my promises." Houja said with a smile.

Ara smiled as a tear fell from her eye and she stood and ran out of the throne room.

"Bold, Houja. Very bold. But I learned from my mother that boldness either gets you dead or gets you a medal, and at the end of the day, neither was really worth the trouble."

"Save your life lessons. Prepare to die!" Houja yelled, firing a plume of blue fire at Kaizu, who took an unfamiliar stance.

000

"Come on, Twi! Keep up! We have to get to an escape sub!" barked one of the twins, as the other, who was wearing a sharp white apron, lagged behind.

"Don't you think we should've gone to the panic chamber with the others, Su Li? Making a break for it doesn't sound like such a good idea anymore, especially with all the fighting happening behind us."

"They were just going to keep us all in there until one of two things happened: either the bad dudes left after killing our city, or they'd find us and kill all of the boys and rape all of the girls. Did you want to stay for that?"

"Actually, I'd be kind of curious. How is rape different from traditional lovemaking?"

"Rape isn't consensual."

"What does that mean?"

"It means you don't want it."

"But I'm still a virgin, so technically, I do 'want it'."

"Then it's not rape, it's one-sided rough sex. Does that sound any better?"

"It would to some people who have those creepy fetishes."

"When did this conversation shift from escaping New Zuko to discussing the moral structure of rape?"

"When you said that they'd rape us if we didn't escape."

"Can we please stop talking about rape?"

"You started it."

"Shut up! Shut up! SHUT UP!"

"Hey, Su! Look! The docks!" Twi squeaked, pointing at the U-shaped peninsula at the end of the large island that held New Zuko.

"We're going to make it! We're going to make it!"

"Where do you think you're going?" asked a deep gruff voice. Suddenly, Twi and Su Li were surrounded by four Shadowbender soldiers.

"Aw, so close." Su Li grumbled.

"Are you going to rape us?" Twi asked, causing Su Li to slap her head.

The twins backed away as the four Shadowbenders began to converge on them.

"Grab them!" one ordered.

"Hold it right there, rapists!" Twi yelled, reaching into the front pocket of her apron and taking out a ball of-

"Are those pastry shells stuck together with cooking adhesive?" Su Li asked.

"Yep!" Twi said with a smile. "But it's what's on the inside that counts!"

She threw the pastry ball on the ground, sending a large cloud of powdery, black smoke up into the air, engulfing the entire dock.

"Su Li! Hold your nose and cover your eyes!" Twi said.

"You could've -achoo!- told me that before -achoo!- you threw it! Achoo! What the -achoo!- hell is that anyway?"

"It was a pepper bomb. I was going to use it to escape culinary class, but we were evacuated before I got a chance. Follow me, forward!"

Twi led Su Li past the sneezing, coughing Shadowbenders to the end of the dock.

"There! That's our escape ship!"

Instead of pointing at the beached submarine nearby, Twi pointed at a big luxury liner in front of them.

"Awesome! I've always wanted to drive a cruise ship!" Su Li agreed, walking down the dock and using tow ropes to climb into the sea vessel.

"Su Li! You find the captain's quarters! I'll go find the pool!"

"You brought a swimsuit?"

"Nope!" Twi called as she ran into the inner workings of the ship.

Su Li shook her head, then threw away the tow ropes so they couldn't be followed. She then climbed a nearby ladder toward the sky-deck of the ship.

"This is the best escape ever!"

**(A/N: There it is! The first chapter of Book Two! I decided to give the Gaang something ominous to think about while we see what's going on with the Fire Nation. In accordance to TeamAvatar's wishes, we saw some more of the twins, Twi and Su Li, and don't worry, Ara and the other children got to the escape sub safely. ^^ Now, before Meiya and the Gaang get to the Southern Water Tribe, I want to do at least one filler chapter, and I'd love to see your ideas for some, so send them in!)**


	14. Pest Control

****

(A/N: I got plenty of good ideas for filler chapters from jenniyan, imawordbender, TeamAvatar, and Nicoleintechnicolor. They were so good, I couldn't choose just one! So, the Gaang will be making three stops before arriving at their destination. Let's follow them to their first stop, the Southern Air Temple.)

"I'm hungry!" was the whiny moan that Kohi continued to yell.

"We're all hungry. We haven't eaten in days. Suck it up." Meiya said.

"Come on, Meiya. Aang didn't rush to learn the elements, and he was in the climax of the worst war in history." Ischi said. "I'm sure we have time to stop for a little food."

"You guys always play the Aang card. Fine. The Southern Air Temple's nearby. Can you guys land the Bison while I scout ahead to find some edible plants?"

"Sure."

Meiya grabbed her glider and jumped out of the Bison, flying down toward the island nearby. Kohi took the Bison controls and followed Meiya down to the island, which held the large, cone-shaped temple.

By the time the Bison landed, Meiya had already gone ahead to scout for food.

"Do you think we should wait here for her to come back?" Khole asked.

"No! I'm hungry now!" Kohi pouted, climbing out of the Bison and running toward the temple.

"Kohi, wait!" Ischi called, following her. Zuko climbed out and chased after them.

"Alright, then! My broken leg and I will just hang out here!" Khole yelled after them.

"Meiya! Meiya, where's that food?" Kohi screamed. She walked into the main indoor temple and fell silent.

A giant clump of weeds had grown from the floor and walls and was covering one portion of the room. Meiya's limbs and clothes were tangled up in the parasitic plant. She looked sleepy, with heavy, half-closed eyelids and slow, forced breaths.

"Is this what's keeping you? Come on, Meiya! Get off your lazy rump and help us look for food!"

"If…I could move…I'd kick your…ugh…" Meiya wheezed.

"What's up with you?"

"It's…this…thing…"

"The weeds? Well, let me just get you out of this thing." Kohi said, tugging at the veiny plants.

"Stop touching it…You'll only make it angrier…" Meiya whispered softly.

"What the heck is wrong with you and this plant?"

"Kohi! Are you in here?" Ischi asked. She gasped when she saw Meiya's state. "Oh my goodness!"

Zuko had a similar reaction. "Don't worry, I'll singe the vines and untangle you."

"Don't touch it…It's…I-It's alive…"

"The weeds?"

"It's not a weed… It's a chlorophyll-based life-form. A bloodsucking seaweed squid." Meiya wheezed. The other three simultaneously cocked their heads to the side.

"I know what you're thinking… This thing should be underwater… From what I can tell… this seems to be a mutant breed that can survive on land…"

"I think we need pest control. Does anybody live here?" Ischi asked.

"The Southern Air Temple is the only uninhabited one, besides a couple of monks."

"Well, where are they?"

"Over there." Meiya said, turning her head to two bleached skeletons in another corner of the room. "Don't touch the squid too much or it'll grab you, too. And whatever you do, don't-"

"This doesn't look like seaweed." Kohi said after taking one of the seaweed squid's leaves.

"-pluck its leaves." Meiya finished.

Kohi, Ischi, and Zuko backed away as a low growling sound seethed from the 'weeds'. Suddenly, the seaweed squid began to peel itself from the wall and 'slither' toward the rest of the Gaang. It's target was the two-legged pink bastard who plucked its leaves.

"Run!" Kohi screamed, because she knew that she was the squid's target.

"Screw that!" Zuko defied, throwing a fireball at the foliage-covered monster.

It let out a surreal shriek as some of its leaves and vines burst into flames. The squid slammed its burning appendage on the ground, smothering the flame. He raised the same tentacle and slapped Zuko away.

"Don't worry, Meiya! I'll save you!" Kohi said as she jumped up and began to painfully pull Meiya from the clutches of the monster.

"Ow! Ow! Owowow! OOOWWWWW!" Meiya bellowed as her skin was ripped free, leaving small chunks behind.

"Now, RUN!"

Kohi turned to run, but the seaweed squid wrapped a tendril around her leg and lifted her into the air, throwing her into a crevasse that the seaweed squid was previously seated on.

Kohi landed in something soft, squishy, and REALLY wet. She looked around her and saw small, translucent eggs. Thousands of them.

"EEEWWW!" Kohi squealed, leaping out of the crevasse and running around disgustedly. "Nasty, squishy eggs! There are eggs down there!"

"Then we're in trouble. This is a carnivorous species. If it's allowed to reproduce, we could put lots of people in danger." Meiya said, hunched over from pain.

"Well, we can't beat this thing! It's too strong!" Zuko yelled, still struggling with the seaweed squid.

"Ooh! Meiya, do you know if there's any meat in a seaweed squid?"

"No meat. It's completely chlorophyll-based."

Meiya couldn't even finish. As soon as she said 'no meat', Kohi had jumped on it, biting down on its tendrils and leaves.

The squid shrieked and tried to throw her off, but every time it brought a tendril close, Kohi bit it off in one giant gulp.

"Leave some for us, Kohi!" Meiya protested.

"Mm! This thing bleeds vegetable oil!" Kohi said with a full mouth. "Hop on, guys. It's an all-you-can-eat buffet!"

"Let's leave a meal for Khole." Ischi said, ripping a tendril out and putting it aside, then jumping onto the squid and devouring it with the others.

000

"Where are we going, Su Li?" Twi called from the sky-deck of the cruise liner they rode on.

"I don't know. Republic City?"

"The most bender-racist city in all of the world?"

"Republic City isn't racist anymore. Avatar Korra made sure of that."

"No she didn't. It took three Avatars to abolish the Republic City racism, Korra, the Earthbender Avatar, Bo Tan, and the most current deceased Avatar, Firebender Avatar Hou. Remember the stories told about Hou and his brother Ja?"

"Yeah, they're one of the most well-known pair of siblings in the Fire Nation. They're so famous among us, father was named after them."

"Don't you hate how our conversations seem to shift without us noticing it?"

"I know, right? Hey, have you noticed that most of the royal family is named after someone. Father's named after Hou and Ja. Zuzu's named after Fire Lord Zuko. I think I'm named after Tui, the Moon Spirit."

"No fair! I'm not named after anything!"

"Sure you are! I…just have to figure it out, then I'll tell you."

Suddenly, Twi and Su Li were rocked by a loud thump.

"What was that?" Twi asked, looking over the edge of the ship. A small submarine had struck the ship. The hatch above the submarine opened, and Ara stuck her head out, looking up at what she hit.

"Twi! Su Li! Where have you two been?"

"We escaped, because the Shadowbenders were going to rape us!" Twi yelled back down. Su Li slapped her head again.

"I have been worried sick about you two! Have you lost your minds? Both of you are in BIG trouble!"

"Aw, and we were going to let you up into the cruise ship, too." Su Li yelled down.

"Excuse me? You WILL let me on the ship, or so help me-"

"We'll let you in, Mom, as long as you promise not to punish us. In writing! Here's a pen and paper"

Twi wrapped a small piece of paper around a red pen and dropped it accurately down into Ara's hand. After indignantly writing the note, Ara reared her arm back and lobbed the pen and note back up to Twi and Su Li.

After reading it, Su Li approved and threw a tow rope down to the submarine.

"Come on, kids. We're taking a cruise." Ara called into the sub. She was the first to climb the tow rope, followed by a swarm of other children.

Twi and Su Li gasped, then looked at each other.

"Party!" both twins screamed at the same time.

000

"Aah…" Kohi said, slumping to the ground with a full stomach. "Mission accomplished."

"Here, here." Ischi said, pumping one fist into the air.

"Amen to that." Zuko said, smothering a yawn.

Beside them were the stagnant, mauled remains of the seaweed squid.

"Alright, now that we're full, let's take Khole's share back to the Bison and shove off." Meiya said, standing.

Ischi grabbed the large tendril that would be Khole's share and walked out of the temple with the others. Upon reaching the Bison, they found Khole asleep.

"How long have we been here?"

"I can't tell anymore, since it's always nighttime." Zuko said.

"Can we continue on to the Southern Water Tribe now?"

"Look at us. We're a mess. Let's find an inhabited island nearby, get some sleep, and make a fresh start in the evening." Ischi suggested.

"It's always something… Fine, I think Whale Tail Island is somewhere nearby."

"Whale Tail Island?" Khole asked, snapping to attention. "No, no, no! We can't go there. That's where the Southern Raiders were based in Aang's time. They could STILL be based there."

"Is there any other island nearby?" Meiya asked.

"Plenty!"

"Any inhabited islands?"

"Um… Not…that I know of." Khole said embarrassingly. "But going to Whale Tail Island is still out of the question! I'd rather stay HERE!"

"Calm down. We don't even know if the Southern Raiders STAYED at Whale Tail Island after Katara and Fire Lord Zuko got done with them. For all we know, they could've relocated to the other side of the world. Let's at least give it a shot."

"Fine. But if we die, I'm never talking to you again." Khole said, laying back down in the Bison with crossed arms.

"Here's dinner." Ischi said, tossing Khole the seaweed squid tentacle before Meiya raised the Sky Bison and took off.

"Hey, Meiya? Do you feel like we forgot something?" Kohi asked.

"I'm too full to remember anything. What'd we forget?"

"Uh… I don't know. Eh, maybe if I ignore it, it'll go away."

Back at the temple, within the crevasse that Kohi was thrown into, the seaweed squid eggs began to stir.

000

In the Fire Palace throne room, Houja launched a powerful plume of blue flames at his opponent, Kaizu, who took an unfamiliar stance and raised his hands, causing a 'dark' plume of black flames to shoot from his hands and counter the initial attack. Houja looked stunned.

"Shadow Flames: my specialty. More powerful than any color of the rainbow you can muster up. I doubt that even the legendary indigo fire could pierce through my kind of offense OR defense."

"It's not the power of the flames that matter. It's the power of those throwing the flames!" Houja yelled, ejecting another hot stream of sapphire flames at Kaizu.

"Unfortunately, I've got you beat THERE, too." Kaizu said slyly, ducking under the flames and shadow-swimming toward Houja.

After rising out of the ground, he and Houja simultaneously launched their own fire streams which collided with each other, causing an explosion which literally blew the roof off of the palace.

000

On the party ship, Su Li sat in the captain's quarters, looking at a map and trying to plot their course. She was interrupted as a door opened behind her.

"Hey, Su! I foun' some ferments in the kitchen! We raiding the place and everybody's gettin' mad drunk! You wanna join us?" Twi asked with a noticeable slur in her voice.

"Twi, you know I don't drink that- Where are your pants?" Su Li asked, noticing that her twin was knock-kneed and pantless.

"That's a funny story, actually. Hold on a second. I've got to introduce you to a new friend I made." Twi said, hiccupping before closing the door behind her.

"Twi, wait!" Su Li called, remembering something.

"Twi, where's Mom?" she asked, catching her slightly-inebriated sibling.

"A couple of guys trapped her in one of those broom closets that lock from the outside."

"What? Why?"

"Something about, 'Get your hands off my daughter.' or something like that."

"Which broom closet?"

"I've been told not to remember which broom closet." Twi said, taking a sip of her fermented drink, which Su Li promptly slapped out of her hand.

"Come with me. This has gone too far."

"No worries. They have air vents in broom closets, I think."

Su Li dragged Twi onto the sky deck, where things were indeed getting way out of hand. A couple of fights could be seen going on, lots of kissing and drinking, and a cacophony of drunken yips and guffaws.

"Everybody listen up! This crap has gone on long enough! I'm going to ask all of you to settle down, or- Hey, unhand me! Where are you- No! Not the broom closet!"

Su Li screamed indignantly as a couple of tanked-up douchebags lifted her in the air and threw her into a nearby broom closet, which did, in fact, have an air vent.

"Help! Help! Somebody let me out of here! Please! It smells like floor wax and urine in here! … Can I at least get a cleaner broom closet?"

000

After what seemed like hours of banging on the broom closet door, it finally gave out and broke off. Su Li ran out and stretched her aching bones and muscles. She felt that something was missing, though. The cacophony.

Su Li ran back onto the sky deck to find only a handful of people still awake. Everybody else was passed out.

Su Li found Twi flatlined in another room, wearing nothing but a brassiere and using four boys as blankets. In her left hand was a small, blue plastic stick. On the end of that stick was a clear plastic bubble which had a small blue minus sign within it. Su Li was relieved, yet disturbed at the same time.

"I might as well follow their lead." Su Li said tiredly, finding an adjacent room and climbing into the empty bed, falling asleep the moment her head hit the pillow.

****

(A/N: And there you have it. Don't feel relieved for Twi yet. It could be a false negative. ;-) Anyway, I'm not that enthusiastic about the fight between Houja and Kaizu. I don't know why, but it's not one of my favorite scenes.

Now, I want to backtrack a little and reflect on a comment that TeamAvatar posted during the first book. It was something about the story being a little similar to the Naruto storyline.

I didn't mean for that to happen, but since it did, I might as well exploit the hell out of it! Slight spoiler alert! We've already said hello to Itachi (Kaizu), but later, we're going to give you the shock of your life and introduce you to Tsunade! Now, this one is a lot harder than trying to guess who Reigo and her mother are (Wordbender, I'm talking to you.) And I'm still trying to think up the awesome prize for whoever guesses it right. Imawordbender set the bar by guessing that it's future Meiya and her kin (which is pretty whacked out if you ask me). But this contest isn't over YET! If you think you have a better answer for who Reigo and her mysterious mom is, get guessing!

Almost forgot my point! See if you can guess who 'Tsunade' is. Whoever gets it right will receive honorable mention in the next ProSeason Q&A!

This is SH10, signing out. ;-))


	15. It's Anniversary, My Dear

****

(A/N: Here's the next chapter! No one has guessed who 'Tsunade' might be, but TeamAvatar has asked an excellent question. It's too bad that the question has to go unanswered until ProSeason And I've thought of an awesome prize for the right answer of Reigo's identity. Right now, we only have one answer, but, if that answer is correct, at the end of the book, imawordbender will receive an opportunity to AFFECT BOOK THREE! How will the winner be able to affect Book Three? I'm still working on that. But get guessing!)

"I'm telling you, this is a bad idea." Khole murmured as the Gaang trudged through the forests of Whale Tail Island. "Why couldn't we have landed closer to the village?"

"I feel that the scenic route would be more invigorating." Meiya said sarcastically. "Look at this forest. Where were we going to land, in a tree? This was the closest secluded spot I could find."

"This 'secluded spot' is near where the Southern Raiders used to dock their ships. After the Fire Nation Navy fell apart during the Century War, they fell apart, too. They became savages who sailed and pillaged villages for fun. FUN!"

"Well, it doesn't look like there are any Southern Raiders here." Ischi said. She gasped and flinched when nearby, a small branch snapped. She backed up closer to Zuko, who held her shoulder protectively.

"Ah! A trap!" Khole squeaked, pointing to a pile of leaves that were strewn together on the ground.

"That's not a trap. It's the middle of fall. I'd be surprised if you DIDN'T see piles like that every half a meter." Meiya said.

The Gaang began to walk over the leaf pile, but as they did, something snared and a giant net opened up beneath them hoisting them high into the air.

"Huh. It WAS a trap." Meiya said.

"See what you did, Meiya? This was-"

"Obviously a thresher-mole trap. Look at the sticky mesh that it was woven with. We'll just wait until the hunters come to get their 'kill', and then we're free. They apologize, we're on our way. Problem solved."

"Is that a flag?" Kohi asked, noticing a stand nearby that held a pole. On the top of that pole held-

"The Southern Raider's crest! This is their territory! This is their trap!" Khole screamed. "They're going to skin us alive and dip us in lemon juice! They're going to set our butts on fire! They're going to-"

"We've got you now, you lily-livers!" yelled a small voice. Two little boys and two little girls ran out of the brush, carrying wooden swords.

"Turn out to be children?" Meiya finished for Khole.

"Shut your yaps! You're our prisoners now!" one girl commanded, swinging her sword at Meiya.

Meiya took a deep breath and blew a small gust of wind at the tykes, which was enough to topple them over.

"Airbenders! You're all an evil lot, aren't you?"

"Not all of us are Airbenders. Now let us out of here. Your mom's probably calling you for supper."

"Grr! That's it! Xi! Set the net on fire!"

"Now you've done it, Meiya!" Khole hissed.

One girl dropped her sword and took a match out of her pocket, striking it against a leaf and setting the match on fire.

Before she could touch it to the net, Meiya blew it out.

Xi lit the match again, and Meiya blew it out again.

"Argh! Stop that!" Xi yelled indignantly.

"Nope." Meiya said, blowing again and knocking Xi over.

"That's it! Prepare to be cut into thin slices!" the self-appointed leader of the ground yelled, raising her sword and running up to the net.

He prepared to cut Meiya with the sword, but Meiya reared her head back, and instead, the boy cut the net, causing it to break.

Meiya stood and brushed herself off before cracking her neck.

"Okay, twerps. Who wants the first spanking?"

"R-Retreat!" the leader yelled. All four of the kids ran off back into the brush.

"Should we follow them?" Ischi asked.

"Too much trouble. The village can't be that far away." Meiya said.

"What the heck just happened?" Zuko asked.

"Nothing. Just a group of kids playing dress-up."

"They seemed pretty into their dress-up games. Those were real matches and real swords. We should tell someone about it." Ischi said.

"I thought Khole was supposed to be the 'Katara' of the group, Mrs. Guru Goody-Goody." Meiya mocked. "You can't tell someone not to do something. The proper way is to let them do what they do until they either get bored with it or hurt themselves. Either way, it's a win-win."

"That seems kind of aloof, don't you think?"

"Not really. Aloof would be not caring for somebody's safety. My suggestion was to PRETEND to not care for somebody's safety. Completely different." Meiya explained as the Gaang broke the forest and came upon the front gates of a large village.

"You think they have an inn?" Kohi asked.

"I'd be shocked if they didn't. Whale Tail Island is a pretty popular tourist attraction, every since whale sharks actually started coming here." Khole said.

Ischi and Zuko didn't stop, and walked together into the village, admiring the sights.

Ischi noticed a nearby newsstand. But what interested her was the date. August 3.

"Zuko, did you know that today was August 3?"

"Nah, with the moon always in the sky now, I can't really tell the time anymore."

Ischi frowned. She thought that just the mention of the date would invoke a reaction.

"August 3? Anything coming to mind?"

"Not really. Why?"

Ischi's frown deepened. He couldn't have forgotten. Not today. Not THIS day.

"Are you sure that you don't recall anything special about today?"

"Oh! That's right!" Zuko said.

Ischi smiled, then closed her eyes and puckered her lips. When the kiss never came, Ischi opened her eyes again to see Zuko rubbing his chin.

"I was scheduled to attend a war meeting this afternoon. I guess that's not going to happen."

Ischi responded with a sharp slap to Zuko's cheek.

"Ow! What was that for?"

"Because you're an…an…infuriating dung beetle!"

"Why? How?"

"I can't believe you forgot again!"

"Forgot what?"

"Never mind. I'll let you figure it out." Ischi said sadly, walking away from Zuko.

Zuko began to get frustrated. He usually didn't forget stuff, but with all of what's happening, he's had to focus on other things. But he still had to wonder what Ischi was so mad about.

Then he realized it. It was August 3. Zuko's heart sank as low as it could.

He had forgotten their couple's anniversary. Again.

000

"Ooh…" Kohi moaned, perplexed by little glass orbs that the locals called 'snow globes'. "Can we buy it, Meiya?"

"Why are you asking me? I don't carry money around." Meiya said, more interested in the Whale Tail Island good-luck charms.

"Me neither. Why don't you go find Zuko or Ischi and ask them?" Khole suggested.

Kohi nodded, then ran off to see where the happy couple had run off to.

"You want to see if we can spot any whale sharks at the docks?" Meiya asked.

"Sure." Khole said, hobbling back on one leg and opting to use Meiya as a crutch.

000

Ischi had started crying the moment Zuko was out of eyesight. This was the second year in a row in which he forgot their couple's anniversary. She decided to just sit down for a second in a secluded area and think things through.

She knew that Zuko loved her with all of his heart. But thinking about it, she realized that she not only loved him, she was blindly devoted to him.

If she could help it, she'd always be where Zuko was, comforted by the warmth of his strong arms and the smoothness of his beautiful voice. He was Ischi's drug, and she became a fast addict.

Ischi shuddered when she realized that she would become physically upset if Zuko wasn't around her, like now. She felt an inner pain in her heart that didn't come from the fact that he had forgotten their couple's anniversary.

'It could be worse.' Ischi thought. 'He's remembered every one of my birthdays. And he didn't seem to mind when I forgot a couple of his. Am I being hypocritical? No. Anniversaries are much more coveted than birthdays. Someone's always going to remember your birthday. But you can only rely on one person for an anniversary.'

And for two years in a row, that one person failed to make the grade. This was supposed to be their three-year anniversary. He remembered the first one, but on the day of their second anniversary, he was too wrapped up in official business to even talk to Ischi for more than two minutes. Ischi let that one slide, since his mind was set on other things, but this year, he had no excuse.

And to add insult to injury, he actually recalled being scheduled for a stupid war meeting over the anniversary. And to shove more salt into the wound, that war was initially against HER nation.

The scale was steadily being tipped against Zuko's favor.

Ischi stopped herself before the dark thoughts could flow through her mind. She couldn't possibly think of leaving Zuko over a forgotten anniversary. That would only cause trouble for everyone. Not just Ischi and Zuko.

"Ischi! Where are you?" called Kohi's voice, snapping her out of her thoughts.

"Kohi?" the depressed princess called back.

"Ischi, what are you doing sitting alone out here? Where's Zuko?"

"I don't want to see him right now."

"Did you two have a fight?"

"Not really. He forgot our anniversary."

Kohi gasped. "That's awful! I'll be sure to give him an earful the next time I see him!"

Ischi knew that she would regret telling Kohi, but the words escaped her lips before she could stop them.

"Kohi, don't! You'll only make things worse! I want to work things out between us on my own. Please don't talk to him about it." Ischi pleaded.

"Okay. I'll let you handle it. Oh! Can I borrow some money?"

Ischi took a pouch of coins from her pocket and handed them to Kohi.

"Thanks!" Kohi said before scampering off again.

Ischi sighed, then stood up.

"I think I need a drink." she said, walking down the street, to a nearby bistro.

000

On the way to the dock, Meiya and Khole stopped at a fabric shop to buy some gauze to wrap around Khole's leg so she could at least stand on it right and not need to be carried or use a human crutch.

"I can smell the ocean. The dock must be really close now." Meiya said.

"Help! Thief! Help!" yelled a distressed woman's voice from nearby. Meiya turned and saw a brown-haired assailant knock a woman to the ground and snatch the leather bag that she was carrying. Bags like that are made to store personal items.

"Stay here. I'll be right back." Meiya said to Khole, grabbing her glider and running after the man.

"Stop right there!" Meiya yelled sweeping the ground with Airbending and causing the bandit's feet to fly from under him.

Before she could grab him, he took some of the dirt from the ground and threw it into Meiya's face, blinding her.

Unable to see, Meiya could do nothing but feebly defend herself as the crook began to strike her repeatedly.

Meiya opened her stinging eyes for one brief moment, throwing a strong fist into the crook's stomach. Blessed with a moment of preparation, Meiya wiped her eyes and cleared her head.

All of a sudden, the criminal stomped on the ground, and to Meiya's surprise, he was an Earthbender. A swift fissure snaked its way under Meiya, then a blunt stone extension bulleted out of the ground and belted Meiya in the stomach, sending her flying backwards into a building.

The assailant shoved his hands into the ground and lifted a 'carpet' of rock out of the ground, swinging it swiftly and causing a large 'wave' of stone to fly into the same building Meiya struck. The force of the wave caused the building to explode, and caused Meiya to roll painfully across the ground.

"Meiya!" Khole yelled in surprise. She was unable to do anything, thanks to her healing leg.

Meiya slowly tried to stand. The crook walked toward her, preparing to finish the job, but out of nowhere, a fireball landed in front of him, forcing him to step back.

Zuko landed on the ground, lunging forward again and tackling the assailant to the ground.

The crook attempted to fight back, but with Zuko restraining him, he couldn't Earthbend.

Zuko clutched the man's lower jaw in one hand and grabbed the back of his neck in the other.

Seeing the intent in Zuko's movement, Meiya quickly spoke up.

"Zuko! No! Don't do it! It's not worth it!"

The words met Zuko's ears not a moment too soon. After a few tense seconds, he released the man, who stood and ran off again, releasing the bag he was holding.

Zuko stared after him for a moment, before walking back to the dock, where he was previously sitting.

Now it was Meiya's turn to stare.

"Meiya, are you okay?" Khole asked, walking with an awkward gait toward the young Avatar.

"Yeah, I'm fine. But…I don't think that Zuko is. Let me go talk to him."

Meiya walked down to the dock where Zuko was sitting. She sat next to him on the edge of the pier.

"Hey."

"Hey." Zuko said, looking at Meiya for a moment, before turning back to the ocean. Every time he looked at the faint traces of red, burnt skin on her face, it was a reminder of his stupid accident. Sitting next to Meiya proved to be a little awkward for him. Neither have been on level ground with each other since New Moon. He wished he knew how to properly apologize to her without sounding like he was talking to Ischi.

Zuko was so lost in his thoughts, he didn't notice that Meiya was staring at him.

"Have you been crying?" Meiya asked with a concerned furl of her eyebrows as she noticed the dry, pale lines trailing from his eyes.

Zuko knew that denying it wouldn't make things any better between them, so he just told her.

"Yeah. It's nothing you have to worry about, though."

"I think it is." Meiya prodded, making Zuko even more uncomfortable. He really didn't want her to know about his trouble with Ischi.

"I…just don't want to talk about it."

"So there IS something wrong." Meiya said with a frown. "Tell me, Zuko."

He didn't want to, but Zuko decided that he'd try to deceive Meiya.

"It's about the accident at New Moon. I still feel pretty bad about it."

Meiya chuckled, and Zuko couldn't tell if she bought it or not.

"That's a good one, Zuko. But seriously, what's the matter?"

"I just told you." Zuko said, panicking a little on the inside.

"Zuko, you're a forward thinker. You're not the kind of person who dwells on bad stuff, and neither am I. I mean, back then, when you burned me, there was an instant, a nanosecond, when I told myself that I would never forgive you. I soul-searched for a few minutes and thought it through, and after looking at a few of the positives, like the cool battle scars, I found forgiving you that much easier." Meiya said.

Inwardly, Zuko hoped that within her speech, Meiya would've forgotten that she was interrogating him. She continued speaking.

"I find it extremely hard to believe that you haven't let this up yet. I'd understand if you felt a little uncomfortable looking at the burn scars, but it's not worth crying over. Now, tell me what's REALLY going on with you. Is it about Ischi?"

At that point, Zuko realized that denying it any further would cause him to backpedal, so he gave in.

"Yeah, it is."

"What happened? Bad fight?"

"Um, sort of?"

"Tell me."

"I forgot our couple's anniversary. Again."

Zuko assumed that, as a girl, Meiya would end up turning on Zuko, opting to scold him, but she just nodded understandingly.

"Go on."

"Go on?"

"What happened next?"

"She got really upset and stormed off, and I didn't realize my blunder until after she left."

Meiya fell silent and looked out at the sea.

After several painfully awkward seconds, Zuko spoke up again.

"What are you thinking?"

"I'm trying to figure out which one of you has the bigger problem. Ischi for getting so worked up over it, or you for letting Ischi get YOU so worked up over it."

"You believe me?"

"I didn't at first. But then you said 'again'. How many times have you forgotten your anniversary?"

"Twice."

"Ouch. Well, don't feel TOO bad about it. Anniversaries are girl things." Meiya laughed.

"What should I do? Ischi is most likely still scathing over it."

"Tell you what," Meiya started, crossing her legs and meeting Zuko's eyes. "Since I owe you one, I'll help you put together a cliché."

"A cliché?" Zuko asked, not understanding.

"Have you ever read one of those cheesy books where a husband pretends to forget his wife's birthday or anniversary, then at the end of the day, throw a huge, extravagant party and reveal that he never forgot?"

"Yeah?"

"That's what we're going to do. We're throwing your girl a surprise party."

"Really? Thanks, Meiya." Zuko said with relief.

"You know, Zuko. You're pretty special."

"Hm?"

"I don't come out of my shell for just anybody. Ischi's a lucky lady." Meiya said. She turned back to the ocean before speaking the last sentence, which sent a strange vibe in Zuko's direction.

"Alright, you dunce. Let's get started." Meiya said, smiling warmly as she stood. Zuko stood with her and walked down the pier, toward Whale Tail Village.

000

Ischi sat in Whale Tail Island's bistro with her head laying on the table. A couple of pint glasses were sitting on the table beside her head. The warm ferments were already working their course through her body.

She looked up for a second as the bistro doors opened, and a brown-haired young man entered, exhaling the deep breath he was holding.

The young man noticed Ischi slumped at her table and almost couldn't believe what he was seeing. He checked all of his pockets and smiled when he felt a salt-like substance in one pocket.

The young man walked up to Ischi.

"Excuse me, miss. Your name wouldn't be Ischi Bei Fong, would it?"

Ischi lifted her head at the sound of her name. Her cheeks were flushed and her pupils were diluted slightly.

"Yes. Who are you?" Ischi asked, with just a hint of slur in her tone.

"My name is Kei. And it is a great honor to meet you. Pray tell, what are you doing here on Whale Tail Island?"

"Having the worst day of my life. My fiancé forgot our anniversary, for the second year in a row."

"How sad. I think that you deserve better."

Ischi couldn't think straight. She didn't know how to respond.

"How about I get you a drink?" Kei suggested.

"Um, sure. Why not?"

Kei smiled and walked up to the bar, taking out a couple of coins and handing them to the bartender.

"Can you get me your strongest drink, please?" Kei asked softly. The barkeep nodded and handed Kei a pint glass of clear, amber liquid. Kei turned, and when none were looking, he took the salt-like powder from his pocket and sprinkled some inside the drink.

"Here you go." Kei said, handing the drugged pint glass to Ischi, who didn't notice the granules within the drink as she took the shot. Almost instantly, her eyes began to ripple and her cheeks flushed a surreal, bright orange.

She barely knew what was going on as Kei took her hand and stood with her.

"Come with me. I know a way for you to forget the pain and disappointment you've been through today."

Ischi couldn't even register what he was saying as he led her out of the door. Slowly, she began to develop tunnel vision, and she forgot where she was and who she was with. The tunnel vision closed in on her and everything went dark.

000

"Isn't it convenient that they have a party store in this town?" Khole asked as she helped Zuko and Meiya set up. Zuko had reserved the entire inn lobby for he and Ischi's surprise anniversary party.

"Very. They must have a lot of celebrations here." Meiya said.

"Oh no! A glass gift! I need a glass gift!" Zuko yelped.

"What?"

"It's a universal tradition. The first anniversary entails a paper gift. The second anniversary entails a plastic gift. The third anniversary entails a glass gift, and so on and so on."

"Ischi could be here any second and you don't have a gift. I suppose someone could run to-"

"Hey, guys! Check out my new snow globe!" Kohi said as she entered, carrying her shiny glass bauble. "It's really pretty. It shows a happy couple holding hands."

"Perfect!" Meiya said, taking the snow globe from Kohi's hands and giving it to Zuko.

"Hey!"

"It's for a good cause. We'll buy you another one. And by 'we', I mean Zuko."

Zuko sighed, handing Kohi a couple of golden coins.

"Thanks!" Kohi said, running out of the building.

"What else is left?" Zuko asked, referring to the decorations.

"We have to blow up a few more balloons and hang the 'Happy Anniversary' banner. Then Khole goes to find Ischi and bring her here. You two make up, kiss a little, we give you some privacy, and from there, you can do whatever you feel you should do." Meiya said.

Zuko could barely contain his excitement. "Thanks, Meiya. This means a lot."

"It's no problem. We're even now. Just remember, you have to pretend that you planned this. Act like you were pretending you forgot the anniversary to surprise her."

Zuko nodded and put the orange balloon he was holding to his lips.

000

Ischi slowly began to awaken, her mind fuzzy and her body aching. She looked outside and redundantly realized that it was still nighttime. When her vision had completely restored, she finally took in her surroundings.

She was lying nude in a bed, her clothes laying on the floor beside her. She looked at herself. There were ugly contusions on her waist and hips. Her chest hurt and her legs felt tingly and numb. Those were all of the injuries that she WANTED to notice, but when she reluctantly scanned that one fateful area of her body, she knew exactly what had happened to her.

Ischi had been raped.

She looked around, seeing that she was the only one in the room. She dully noted the sound of running water. The bathroom light was on, and she established that whoever had violated her was taking a shower.

Ischi hastily dressed herself, as quietly as she could, and crept toward the door, successfully sneaking out of the house. Once she was a safe distance away, she sat down on the ground, horrified.

How had this happened? Ischi couldn't even remember anything since she took her first shot at the bistro. She had no idea who had raped her, or even if it was a rape. What if Ischi had willingly-

'No! That can't be true! Even if I was drunk, I would never betray Zuko like that!' Ischi thought, clearing her mind of all of those negative thoughts. 'This is my fault. I never should've run off. I have to find Zuko. I have to tell him I'm sorry.'

Ischi stood and began to pace the village, looking for her fiancé. After lapping the village a couple of times, Ischi finally ran into Khole.

"Ischi! Just the girl I wanted to see!"

"Khole, have you seen Zuko? I need to talk to him." Ischi said, trying to calm herself.

"You're in luck! I know where he is. Follow me."

Khole hobbled with Ischi through the streets, until they reached that Whale Tail Inn.

Before Ischi could walk in, she felt Khole's hand cup against her eyes.

"Khole! What are you doing?"

"Go with it." Khole said as she walked Ischi into the inn.

Khole took her hands from Ischi's eyes.

"SURPRISE!" yelled Khole, along with Zuko, Meiya, and Kohi.

"Happy anniversary, Ischi." Zuko said, giving her a big hug.

"Zuko…I-I don't know what to say."

"Heh heh. And you thought I forgot." the Fire Prince chuckled.

Ischi blushed, though on the inside, she was sickened and ashamed of herself. All of what she did, the running off, the crying, the bistro. It was all for nothing. All because she didn't have faith in her true love.

Ischi began to cry, and Zuko misinterpreted them as tears of joy, holding her tightly in his arms.

"Hold on! It gets better!" Zuko said, releasing Ischi and allowing her to wipe her eyes. When Zuko returned, Ischi's breath was snatched away.

He was holding a glass snow globe. Within the clear orb stood a smiling, happy couple.

He handed it to Ischi, who accepted it with trembling hands. Zuko helped her steady herself so that she wouldn't drop the gift.

All of this was getting to be too much for Ischi. Zuko warmed her with another embrace.

"Congrats, you guys!" Kohi squeaked excitedly.

Meiya winked knowingly at Zuko, who smiled back.

"I almost forgot. Here." Meiya said, tossing Zuko a key."

"What's this?"

"The key to Suite 101. The honeymoon suite. I know it's not your honeymoon, but it's the best I could do. They don't have a fiancé's suite."

Meiya directed the last comment at the concierge, who shrugged amusedly.

"Now, we're going to give you two some time to break in your new suite. Make the most of it; I only rented it for six hours." Meiya said, directing Kohi and Khole out of the hotel.

Zuko took Ischi's hand and swept her into the beautiful suite.

Ischi barely had time to look around. Zuko turned her around, looking deep into Ischi's eyes and caressing her back with his thumbs.

Not a word had to be exchanged between them. They both knew what was coming.

Ischi was mesmerized by the deep yearning that was set into Zuko's eyes. Zuko was drawn by the soft, silent longing and desire that brightened Ischi's face. Both leaned in toward each other and shared a kiss that was unlike any kiss they had ever shared before. One filled with lustful emotion from Ischi and dominative power from Zuko.

Between them, there was an almost magnetic attraction to the large bed that sat in the center of the room. Once Zuko and Ischi sat on the bed, their lips still entwined, everything else in the world was forgotten.

All that existed was those two, and the passion that they were about to share.

000

"Ah! This was a good day!" Kohi said, stretching her arms. "We all got a good night's rest, and now we can get going to the Southern Water Tribe."

Meiya glanced back at Ischi and Zuko who seemed more in love with each other than ever before.

"Let's hit the sky as fast as we can. The Southern Water Tribe isn't that far." Meiya said, jumping into the Bison.

Once everyone was on the Bison's 'saddle', Meiya, pulled the clutch, expecting to lift off and begin flying, but she flinched at how loose the clutch was and furled her eyebrows when she heard a clacking sound.

"What's that?" Meiya said, pulling the loose clutch again and hearing the same clacking sound.

Kohi climbed out of the Bison and felt around for the machinery hatch. Once she lifted it, she glanced around.

"Meiya, pull the clutch again."

Once Meiya pulled the clutch, Kohi saw that the clacking noise came from the clutch shaft banging against the stationary. Then she noticed that something was missing.

"Someone stole the pressure pipes." Kohi established.

"The what?"

"The little cylinder-shaped accordions with holes in them. I saw them when I snuck into the Bison the first time to stow away with you. They shoot air out of the holes in the tail, giving the Bison flight capabilities. Without them, this is just a wooden statue."

"You mean we're stranded here?" Meiya asked.

"'Fraid so." Kohi answered.

****

(A/N: A couple of chapters ago, I said that there would be three stops for the Gaang, but I figured out a way to fit all of the filler ideas into two stops. That's our bridging cliffhanger. Do you think you can guess who stole the- no, no, knock it off. Asking you who stole them would ruin it. Ah, screw it! Take your best guess! It's no surprise who stole them!

Ischi/Zuko 4EVER! Ischi's attack may not seem really significant right now, but give it a few chapters. This little episode will come up again real soon. I hope I didn't give it away. That would ruin it.

I've noticed that this story is getting more and more interactive. I can't tell if that's good or bad. Give me your opinion. Is interactivity in this story making it more entertaining, or is it distracting, and be honest. I'll still do these interactive bits whether you like them or not, I just want the general opinion.

No one has mustered a guess at who our old friend might be, going under the alias of 'Tsunade'. Throw your best guesses out there! I won't laugh, I promise. ;-))


	16. Captured and Bound

**(A/N: Sorry it took so long for me to update, but I was holding out for imawordbender's reviews. Thanks! They helped a lot! ^^**

**Since no one is going to come close to guessing who 'Tsunade' is without a hint, I'll throwing you guys a bone.**

**It's someone we've met before. About…say, five hundred years ago?**

**That's your hint. Still can't guess? -sigh- Fine, here's another one. Aang knows her.**

**Aw man! That's two hints! I'm not giving any more. If you can't figure it out, you'll have to wait until Tsunade's reveal.**

**Also a note: A funny show known as Tosh.0 seems to have rubbed off a little on me. If I seem a little odd during these A/N's, blame Daniel Tosh. Now, enjoy the story!)**

Meiya scrabbled through the brush, on the off-chance that the pressure pipes could've fallen out and rolled somewhere. Once that failed, she double-checked the inner workings of the Bison to see if it fell out in there.

Once that failed, Meiya sat near the Bison with crossed arms and a scowl.

"Come on, Meiya. We can't give up yet. Someone could've stolen them. Maybe if we go back to town and ask around, we can find a lead." Ischi said.

"There's never a worse-case scenario for you, is there?" Meiya asked crossly.

"No. I like to think positive."

"Alright, let's go. Kohi, Khole. Stay here with Zuko and watch the Bison in case the hoodrat who stole from us comes back. Ischi and I are going into town.

Ischi smiled as she and Meiya walked through the forest toward the village again, though behind the smile, she was thinking gravely.

'What if whoever attacked me stole the pipes, to keep me here and… and… I don't want to think about it. But…what if he does to Meiya or Kohi what he did to me? Oh, why am I thinking about this? It's ridiculous! I have to try and put this… I can't even THINK it with a straight face. How could I possibly put this behind me? I want to vomit every time I think about it, but I hold it down for Zuko's sake. He thinks I'm perfect, and if he knew about this, he'd…I don't even know what he'll do.'

"What are you thinking about?" Meiya asked, jarring Ischi from her thoughts.

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"Your kept making different weird expressions. That either means that you're thinking passionately about something or it's that time of the month."

"Oh, it's nothing." Ischi said.

"If you have to think that hard, it can't be nothing. Ugh, what is it about this place that makes a person's true feelings come out?""What do you mean?"

Meiya didn't answer. She only stopped. Her eyes widened for a few seconds, then dulled. Her eyelids became droopy and heavy, then Meiya fell face-first on the ground. Ischi gasped upon noticing a dart sticking from her neck.

"Who's there? Show yourself!" Ischi yelled, looking around frantically.

Suddenly a metal chain flew from the nearby brush and wrapped itself around Ischi's leg, pulling it from under her and causing Ischi to fall to the ground.

She used all of her strength to keep from being dragged to her possible doom.

"Help! Help, please! Somebody! Anybody!"

000

Back at the Bison, Zuko raised his head at the sound of screaming.

"Help! Help, please!"

"That's Ischi!" Zuko realized, standing and running after the voice.

"Somebody! Anybody!" Ischi continued to scream.

"Ischi! I'm coming!" Zuko yelled. When he finally reached the clearing where the screaming was coming from, he looked around, but saw nothing.

"Aah! Help! Zuko! Where'd you go?" yelled Kohi's voice.

The distressed Fire Prince clawed at his hair and ran back to where he started, only to find that Kohi and Khole had vanished.

The infinite nighttime was not helping Zuko's nerves. He glanced around angrily and frustratedly.

He winced as a soft prick infiltrated his arm and quickly pulled out the dart.

Almost immediately, the sedative warmed his body and Zuko began to get very woozy.

He tried to fight it and regain his composure, but it was an automatic bodily response, one that Zuko could do nothing to stop. Eventually, the darkness closed in around him, and the last thing Zuko felt was the jarring thud of his body hitting the ground.

000

Kaizu and Houja's battle had practically leveled the palace. Kaizu panted lightly, but Houja looked ten years older than when he began to fight. His eyelids were dark and droopy and stress creases began to form on his face.

"You've lost, Fire Lord. Believe it or not, I don't want to kill you. Stand down now and you can leave and lick your wounds."

"Never. I'll never submit to you. Too much is on the line." Houja said, unable to sound menacing or determined.

"Alright, then. I guess it's time to end you." Kaizu said, taking the Stormbending position. As he did, black electricity began to crackle around him.

Houja clenched his teeth and adjusted his body ever so slightly, in order to redirect the lightning.

Kaizu squinted, then threw his arm in front of him, launching a powerful bolt of black lightning straight at Houja, who reacted quickly and took the lightning, planning on just as quickly launching it back at Kaizu.

The Fire Lord was taken completely by surprise at the sheer power behind the black lightning. He could barely contain it. He felt that he was going to explode, until he aimed a trembling at Kaizu and launched an inaccurate black lightning bolt, which whizzed past Kaizu's head.

Houja clutched at his chest, the energy from the black lightning still tearing his body apart.

"How did I know that you were going to try that? Black lightning is almost impossible to redirect, just as black fire is inextinguishable. I'm surprised you didn't blow up. It would almost be a shame and a waste to kill you without reason, but it seems that nature will not adhere to my will. You'll die on your own. It was an honor to battle you, Fire Lord, but it is time for the proverbial curtain to close upon your spirit."

As Kaizu turned to leave, Houja's vision began to cloud. There was barely an time to try and fight his fate, and he was too weak to try. Houja fell to the ground and closed his eyes, darkness and stillness closing around him.

000

"I'm queen of the world!" Twi screamed as she stood on the bow of the ship with her arms outstretched, breathing in the salty sea air. She looked beside her and noticed a groggy Su Li leaning over the ship.

"Su, do you have a hangover?" Twi asked.

"I told you, I don't drink. How do you NOT have a hangover? Your immune system can't be THAT powerful."

"Oh, don't be fooled. It feels like there's a spiked vice squeezing at my head, but it's better to just try to ignore it then groan about it until it subsides. So, what's wrong with YOU?"

"I only got three hours of sleep."

"And?"

"If I don't sleep every night for at least six hours, I wake up feeling weak and groggy until the six-hour line passes during the day."

"You should drink more. Ferments are a great sleep-inducer. Speaking of ferments, did we drink any last night? Because in the room I was sleeping in, I was surrounded by them. And boys."

"Oh, don't tell me you've actually forgotten everything that happened last night." Su Li sighed.

"Not everything. I remember everything up until took my first ferment. Those things are mind-bleachers."

"So, what happens now?" Su Li asked, sitting up and standing on wobbly feet.

"I don't know how far away Republic City is. I thought you knew."

"It's still a couple of days, barring any unforeseen circumstances."

Suddenly, a metal grinding noise pierced the air and the luxury liner began to rumble and slow down, eventually grinding to a halt.

"Like that?" Twi asked, pointing at the large iceberg which they just smashed into.

Su Li hung her head over the side of the boat again and groaned. "I wonder if Zuko is having as good a time as we are right now.

000

Zuko slowly opened his eyes. His hands felt sticky and wet, and upon turning his head, he saw that his hands were wrapped in gauze that was soaked in honey.

'To keep me from moving my hands or Firebending.' Zuko realized. He noted that the lower half of his face was also wrapped, even though he couldn't breathe fire. Precautions, he guessed.

Zuko felt a tingling sensation in his legs and realized that he was hoisted off the ground by the chains that bound his arms.

"Zuko, are you awake yet?" asked Khole's voice.

"Yeah. Where are you? I can't see you anywhere."

"In a cell behind you."

Zuko tried to turn around, but his binds kept him from moving his body a lot.

"No talking, you scum!" yelled a rough, child-like voice. Zuko looked to the door and saw-

"Are you those kids from the first time we came through the forest?"

"Kids? Don't call us kids! We're the Southern Raiders!" said the leader.

"What? You're the Southern what?"

"Don't act dumb! We know you're related to Fire Lord Zuko, and the girl is related to Katara of the Southern Water Tribe!"

"Not really. I'm not a direct descenda-" Khole started.

"Shut your yap!" yelled the girl who the leader called Xi.

"Where are our friends? Where's my fiancé?" Zuko demanded.

"Sitting in another room, but don't worry about them. We're focused on you!"

"What do you have against us?" Zuko asked.

"Your ancestors ruined our ancestors' lives. Now we feel that it's our job to return the favor."

"Hey, you kids didn't happen to see any accordion-shaped tubes rolling around, did you?" Khole asked.

"You mean these AREN'T accordions?" asked the second boy, taking one of the blue pressure pipes from the pack on his back. The leader thumped him on the forehead.

"Lu, you idiot! Why would you take those out?"

"Sorry, Kosa." Lu said, quickly putting the flexible pipes back into his pack.

"YOU stole those? How do you know anything about our Bison? What the heck ARE you kids?" Zuko asked, flabbergasted.

"We don't know anything about it. We just took something. Anything at all."

"How did you it would disable the Bison?"

"If you take one gear out of a clock, will it still work right?" Kosa asked with crossed arms.

"No, but- Oh… I see." Zuko said.

"I don't. What's the big idea?" Khole asked.

'If they don't know what they stole, I could tell them EXACTLY what they stole.' Zuko thought.

"Do you know what you guys are carrying?" Zuko asked with false surprise.

"What? They're just the p-"

"Shut up, Khole! So, do you know?"

"Not…really. We just grabbed the first thing that caught our eyes."

"Those are the Bison's combustion chambers!"

"Combo-what?" Xi asked.

"The most dangerous machinery part in our flying machine. It burns hot air and pushes it against the ground to give it lift. If it's taken out of the Bison for too long, there's a chance that it could blow up!"

"The…Bison?" Lu asked.

"The tubes, you numbskull." Khole corrected, catching on.

"Lu, get rid of your bag!" Kosa said. Lu panicked and threw it to Kosa.

"I don't want it! Get rid of it!" Kosa yelled, tossing it to Xi.

"We could help you with those if we weren't bound up like this." Zuko said, hoping that the kids were naïve enough to believe that.

"Wait a second! We were watching them! They called these things pressure pipes!" Xi pointed out.

'Darn it.' Zuko thought.

"You thought you could trick us, did you?" Kosa asked spitefully.

"What kind of kids are you?"

"We're a band of brothers and sister that don't have a home and don't have a family besides each other. Whale Tail Village wants nothing to do with us. They say we're a nuisance. That's why we live here and scout the forest for any unlucky villager to pillage. We got lucky with you lot."

Zuko softened up a little bit.

"It's because of Katara and Fire Lord Zuko!" Xi spat, the two accursed names sliding off of her tongue like acid. "They ruined the Southern Raiders!"

"But for good reason!" Khole protested. "If your village was being ransacked on a usual basis, wouldn't you want to get revenge?"

"You think it was so simple a decision for you?" Lu asked. "Like slaughtering a chicken. To the slaughterer, it's simple, but the chicken won't find it that simple, will it?"

"So, what are you going to do with us? My arms are sore, and I can't feel my legs anymore."

"You're not going to kill us, are you?" Khole asked.

"Kill you? Why would we do that? Your ancestors didn't kill ours. We're here, aren't we?"

"Well, considering you tried to kill us the first time we met." Zuko chimed.

"We do that to scare villagers into giving us their money. We wouldn't really set the net on fire. But we would cut you a couple of times to get the message across." Kosa explained.

"So, what ARE you going to do to us?" Zuko repeated.

"Like we said, we can cut you a couple of times to get our message across. Which finger do you want to lose?"

"What?"

"You heard me." Kosa said dryly. "Xi, get the pruning shears."

"I don't want to lose any of my fingers!" Khole protested.

"Index it is, then. What about you, pretty boy?"

Zuko didn't answer. He only furled his eyebrows and frowned.

"If you don't answer, we'll decide for ourselves." Kosa said, taking the small hand shears from his sister. Xi took a match from her own pack and struck it against the wall. She threw the match into a nearby coal burner, causing a large flame to shoot up.

After grabbing a fire retardant glove that was laying near the coal burner, Kosa held the hand shears over the large flames. After only a minute, Kosa removed the red-hot shears from the fire.

Lu pulled a lever nearby, and the chains holding Zuko began to lower. Once Zuko's feet were on the ground, Kosa stepped up to Zuko, snipping the sizzling shears menacingly.

"Why don't we start with the pinky?" Kosa said, unwrapping the soaked gauze around Zuko's numb hand and clutching his wrist so he couldn't resist.

Kosa brandished the shears around Zuko's pinky, which began to tingle from the heat, and prepared to sever one of Zuko's digits.

000

In another room in the Southern Raider base, Meiya, Kohi, and Ischi sat in a single wooden cell.

"Ready? One…two…THREE!" Kohi yelled, running forward as fast as she could and slamming into the wooden cell door. Like the first two times she tried, Kohi bounced off of the wood as if she was made of rubber and fell on her butt, birds flying around in her mental vision.

"It's not going to work, Kohi. We're stuck in here." Meiya said. "I don't suppose you've thought up a way to get us out of this?"

Meiya turned to Ischi, to whom the question was directed. She had a cold, fearful look in her eyes and was turned away from Meiya and Kohi.

"Ischi, are you okay?" Meiya asked.

Ischi didn't answer. She stayed frozen in her spot.

"Look, it's not THAT frightening in here. I'm sure we'll get out of here soon."

When Ischi still didn't answer, Meiya tapped her on the shoulder, causing her to scream.

"What's wrong?" Meiya asked quickly, reeling back.

"Nothing, nothing. You just surprised me."

"You've been acting really weird since we left Whale Tail Village. Are you sure you're okay?"

Ischi was anything but okay, and Meiya's pressing only made her nerves worse. She tried her best to keep it together, but it was apparent that she was failing miserably.

"Ischi, you're sweating! What is the matter with you?" Meiya demanded.

Ischi was a second away from snapping, but a chattering noise drew everyone's attention. Meiya turned back to the cell door and saw a familiar-looking lemur bat examining the cell lock curiously.

"Kisi!" Meiya realized, running up to the door. "I completely forgot about you! You were asleep in the Bison, weren't you?"

Kisi chattered curiously, keeping his attention on the key lock. He sniffed it wonderingly.

"It's a key lock, Kisi. Try to find a key." Meiya instructed.

Kisi seemed to understand and jumped from his perch on the door and began to sniff around the room, eventually coming to a discolored panel on the ground. Kisi seemed confused and didn't know what to do next. Meiya gasped.

"Ischi! The keys are hidden under that stone panel. Can you Earthbend to lift it up?" Meiya asked.

Ischi looked up again and, without a word, walked to the cell wall and lifted one finger, causing the discolored panel to rise slowly and shakily. Kisi grabbed the ringed keys that lay underneath the panel and scampered back to the cell door before Ischi dropped the stone again.

The smart little lemur sniffed the lock first, then sniffed each key on the ring until he found a match. Kisi used the matching key to unlock the door.

"Thanks, boy." Meiya said, scratching Kisi's head. All of a sudden, something happened. Something that went unheard, but not unseen.

Out of the corner of Ischi's eye, she noticed that Meiya's hairrow and tattoos flashed red for less than half a second. She thought she had imagined it, until Meiya spoke again.

"Alright, now let's give those little punks something to remember." Meiya said with an ominous smile.

Ischi recognized that smile, the same as the Dark Avatar's. Before Ischi could speak up, Meiya ran off. Kisi jumped onto Kohi's shoulder as she and Ischi followed Meiya.

000

Kosa brandished the burning shears around Zuko's pinky, which began to tingle from the heat, and prepared to sever one of Zuko's digits.

Zuko closed his eyes and prepared for the unbearable pain, but suddenly, a powerful wind-strengthened explosion rocked the room.

Kosa, out of surprise, threw his shears into the air, away from Zuko.

"Nobody move!" came Meiya's voice.

The Southern Raider Kids turned toward the door and saw a very angry-looking Meiya staring them down.

Kosa quickly reached into his pack and took out a bundle of tiny pellets. He threw them on the ground, sending up a giant plume of grey smoke, which clouded everyone's vision.

Meiya was temporarily blinded and had to cough to clear her system of the thick gas. When she regained her composure, Meiya clasped her hands together, causing a blast of wind to disperse the smoke cloud.

The kids were nowhere to be found. Meiya looked around for several frustrated seconds, until she heard the crash of metal against the ground.

She looked outside the room and down the hall, seeing that Lu had tripped over a rusty weapon rack.

"Get up, clumsy!" Xi said, pulling Lu from the wreckage. He stood and began to run again.

Meiya, completely ignoring Zuko and Khole, continued to run after the kids.

All of a sudden, Kohi and Ischi came sliding in. They immediately noticed Zuko and Khole's positions, and came in to free them. Ischi used Metalbending to destroy Zuko's chains, then used the same Metalbending to tear off Khole's cell wall.

"I think something's wrong with Meiya." Ischi said, trying to hide any signs of her PRS (Post-Rape Syndrome). "She's acting a little like the evil Meiya, with the red tattoos."

"She's not in the Avatar State, though." Kohi said.

"I know, but it just feels like something's wrong. Let's follow her and see if we can find out what's going on."

Ischi was the first to run out of the door, followed by Kohi and Kisi, Zuko, and Khole.

000

"What's going on? What just happened?" Ara asked, as she walked out to the sky deck.

"We've hit ground. Well, ice, if you want to be technical." Twi said.

"Yeah, we've been beached pretty badly. Pushing the ship back into the water is out of the question." Su Li said

"So, what do we do now?" Ara asked.

"How many Firebenders do we have on the ship?"

"We have a handful, but because of the moon, coupled with the fact that we're in the freezing cold South Pole, Firebending won't be as strong as it could be."

"It'll have to be enough. We need to melt the ice around us so the ship can slide back into the water easier."

"That's a good idea. There's just one problem. Every single person on this ship has a hangover."

"That'll subside in a couple of hours. I think that we should just relax until then." Twi said, walking to a nearby empty beach chair.

Ara and Su Li looked at each other, shrugged, then pulled up a couple other chairs next to Twi's.

**(A/N: Ack! Finally done! Whew!**

**Now, here's a little change of plan for my story. My original idea was that Ischi would find out that she was pregnant at the South Pole, and then there would be a new fear: who was the father? Of course, it would turn out to be Zuko's. However, one of imawordbender's reviews informed me that Ischi and Zuko getting it on during their time in the honeymoon suite would seem a little off, so instead, I'm going to take her advice and exploit my newest uncoined term: PRS, Post-Rape Syndrome.**

**I haven't seen that many episodes of Law and Order, SVU or NCIS, but the episodes that I have seen are shaping Ischi's new personality. Don't worry, she'll go back to being Mrs. Guru Goody-Goody eventually.**

**Another week, another empty poll for who anybody thinks 'Tsunade' is. The three hints above should tell you straight out, so at least TRY to guess! Please?**

**Now, before I go, let me explain myself for my absence. I share an account with my older brother, Jaccori. I know, weird name, but he likes it. Anyway, he's got his fair share of stories on FF as well (though mine are better). He chose the screen name, and wrote the profile, without ANY mention of me, might I add, but I digress. **

**He's hogging the laptop constantly, and what he's actually looking at on my computer is still under investigation. He SAYS he's checking his E-mails, but no one checks their E-mail seventeen times a day. I barely get enough time to write more than two pages per day, and once school starts for me (starting high school, WOOT!), I doubt that I'll get ANY time! I'm thinking about using my mom's laptop to start posting chapters, but I'll have to ask her first.**

**And that's why I'm so slow to post. Sorry if that was a little long-winded.**

**Anywho, once again, this is SH10, signing out ;))**


	17. Future Shock

**(A/N: Here we go again! The next chapter! I've finally got a few guesses for who 'Tsunade' might be. TeamAvatar has picked Suki, Katara, and Toph… *snicker* No multiple entries, sorry, you've gotta pick ONE! Imawordbender picked Toph, another anonymous user guessed Mai, and jenniyan picked Kyoshi, which would be a good answer if Kyoshi wasn't the Avatar, which would conflict with Meiya being the Avatar. ERRR! Try again! ^^ What can I say about these choices? Nothing yet! You'll have to wait a couple more chapters for the reveal!)**

The battlefield in which the Shadow Clan had first emerged lay in bloody ruin and in complete and utter darkness, just how the Clan liked it.

On the outskirts of the large, roughly bowl-shaped field, the bodies of the Clan's defeated enemies and the mangled carcasses of the Fire Nation war machines were thrown into piles. A separate pile was reserved for those Shadowbenders and Bender Elites that had fallen during the battle. Not surprisingly, that particular pile was much smaller when compared to the other.

In the center of the Shadow Clan's newest territory, the many survivors celebrated by feasting on food that was pillaged from the surrounding towns. They ate this meal in front of a hearth that glowed black with Shadow Fire.

Just outside the territory, in a dense, silent forest, Kaizu stood, waiting for something.

"Are you alone?" asked a smooth female voice from nearby.

"Of course I'm alone. I'm not stupid enough to let someone follow me all the way up here." Kaizu said icily.

"Someone's in a bad mood." said Reigo as she rose from the ground. "Did the New Zuko Siege not go as planned?"

"Unfortunately, the Fire Lord has…expired. And you know how I feel about reasonless destruction."

"Your powers must make that a problem now and then, doesn't it?"

"More often than not. But I didn't come here for idle chat, sister. Let us begin."

Kaizu raised one finger and lit a single black flame upon it. Then, using that same finger, he drew a circle in the air with the fire. Somehow, it stayed suspended in the air as he drew.

Reigo, arched her fingers to the ground, raising a small trail of shadow, which she guided into the ring of Shadow Fire, swirling it inside, until it completely filled the ring. Reigo then began to chant.

"Yen Nihs Of Out Im A Om An…"

It sounded as if Reigo was speaking backwards. She continued to chant, until the shadows within the ring of fire began to swirl, and eventually, a shadowed female face appeared.

"You have news for me, my children?" asked the woman.

"New Zuko has fallen, mother. However, the Fire Lord has also fallen." Kaizu reported.

"Hmm. An interesting development."

"Has anything changed in the present?" Reigo asked.

"Not that I can tell. Reigo? What have you to report?"

"Ba Sing Se is under a loose siege." Reigo said.

"What do you mean, 'loose siege'?"

"There is powerful resistance in the city, but the Earth King is being held captive and his reign has been taken over by one of my top generals."

"That will have to do for now. Excellent work, both of you. Reigo, for now, you will be relieved of your position as commander."

"If I may ask, mother, how come?"

"Since the invasion began, you have proven yourself multiple times over. It's time for your brother to prove himself."

Kaizu adjusted his glasses in acknowledgement.

"Also, I have a special assignment for you that will decide our future." the woman finished. "Let me speak with Kaizu for a moment."

Reigo bowed, then sunk into the shadows, swimming away.

"My son," the woman started. "Though Reigo is an excellent commander, I believe that you are more suitable for the mission I have for you."

"Hm?"

"I need you to lead a troop of soldiers and take over Republic City, the so-called 'Beacon of the World'. Republic City is a symbol of 'hope' for those of the past, and if it falls, it will make taking over the past that much easier. Can you do this for me, my son?"

"I will succeed, mother. Or I will die trying." Kaizu said. "When should I depart?"

"Wait a couple of days for me to gather enough troops for you to use, unless you believe that you are already properly equipped?"

"Reinforcements would be much appreciated."

"Very well, then. You depart for Republic City in two days."

"Thank you, mother." Kaizu said with a bow and another adjustment of his glasses.

"Tell Reigo that I will give her the new assignment later." the robed woman said as the ring of fire began to dissipate.

Kaizu nodded and sunk into the shadows, swimming away.

000

In the future, as the magic mirror disappeared, the shadowed woman removed her hood. Her hair was shiny and white and her skin was pale and fair. Her eyes were different colors. One was a pale grayish color, and the other was blood red. Just by looking at her, her age would be difficult to guess. Her eyes were alive with youth, but the rest of her face looked a little tired and age-worn.

"I believe it is time for the Devourer to do his part and complete the Triad as the master of the land." the woman said. As she said this, a low, loud, mechanical groan pierced the air around her. She turned, noting the colossal robotic beast that stood over the ruined remains of the city she looked over.

"Yes, my pet. It is time. I have the dwarf machine. I would send you to the past, but as of late, you have become rusted and slow. I need a fresh Weapon of Discord to fight alongside the other two."

The woman clenched a fist, and a ball of shadow formed around the small, orb-shaped machine she held in the other hand.

With the same hand she clenched, the woman pushed forward suddenly, causing the ball of shadow to fly forward quickly, toward the large portal that sat on the other side of the city.

The woman looked on emotionlessly as the ball disappeared from sight. Her attention was diverted as fire began to appear in the city below.

"The resistance." the woman said with a scowl that seemed as natural as a relaxed expression.

The giant metal beast groaned again.

"No need, my pet. I shall end this today."

And with that ominous final message, the as-of-yet nameless woman sunk into the shadows and swam toward the city-under-fire.

000

Kosa, Lu, and Xi ran as fast as they could out of the old, abandoned Southern Raider base, closing the door behind them.

"Why are we running? We're the Southern Raiders! We don't run away from fights!" Xi said.

"Did you see the look in that crazy girl's eyes? She's going to kill us if we stop!" Kosa panted. "Besides, I didn't think that they'd ACTUALLY escape that cell! If I did, I would've cut their thumbs off!"

The front door that they left behind began to mangle itself from the inside, and then suddenly exploded in a blast of wind. Meiya stepped outside, and with a malicious growl, she looked around. Once her eyes looked on their targets, Meiya's blood began to rush again. Her tattoos flashed red twice in quick succession, then she ran off after her prey. A couple of seconds later, she was followed out of the base by Ischi and Kohi, followed by Zuko and Khole.

"Tell me that I'm not the only one who saw that." Kohi said with a furl of her eyebrows, referring to her tattoos.

"She's not in the Avatar State, yet she's acting like the Dark Avatar. What's wrong with her?" Ischi asked.

"Let's find out." Zuko said, running after Meiya, with the others following.

000

Back in the future, in a skeletal city that lay blanketed in a mist of dark fog, a brutal battle was being waged. On one side, the Shadowbenders, who were apparently taken by surprise, attempted to regroup and return fire, but the opposing side, several groups of organized guerilla Benders swarmed the city and took down Shadowbenders left and right.

Heading the Resistance were two powerful benders. The first, a powerful Firebender with battle scars riddling his body. The fire he attacked with was not red, orange, or even blue, but a majestically potent violet color. The second, a determined dark-skinned Waterbender girl, who attacked by drawing water from the shadowy mist something only a master could do.

"Hm hm hm… And then there were two." said a menacingly smooth voice.

Suddenly, the nameless woman rose from the ground.

"You… Kumori…" the male leader whispered.

"Heh! Yes, I'm sure you remember my name now, Zuko, after everything and everyone I've destroyed in your life under that name."

Future Zuko clenched his teeth as the woman continued.

"Let's see, who's in that list? Oh, yes, I started by destroying who you knew as Meiya, and who I knew as the one thing standing in my way to total victory. Then there was Kohi. Such a sweet girl, but so drastically stupid."

Zuko responded by firing a large plume of violet flames, which Kumori quickly deflected with a wave of shadow.

"Your mother and twin sisters were the next to die at my hand. Wasn't even a challenge."

"Shut up!" Zuko yelled, charging forward and throwing a flame-enhanced punch, which Kumori caught, snuffing out the flames.

"Khole!" Zuko called quickly.

The silent Waterbender nodded, then conjured a torrent of black water, which would've slammed into Kumori and washed her away, had she not sunk into the ground.

The Shadow Queen swam as a shadow along the ground, entwining around Khole's leg.

"I think you'll find that my shadowy touch is much more potent than anything YOU'VE witnessed." Kumori said.

Khole screamed out as steam began to rise from her corroding leg. She quickly lighted a finger with a glowing wisp and tapped at her leg. Kumori hissed as the volatile energy pulsed through her, then uncoiled from Khole's leg.

Kumori rose a few meters away from Khole and Zuko.

"This touch-and-go routine is getting dull. How about a little game. Catch me if you can." Kumori said with an evil grin, sinking into the ground and swimming off.

"What is she thinking?" Khole asked as she and Zuko chased after the swift shadow.

"She's not mentally sound anymore. We couldn't tell what she was thinking if we had a mind reader." Zuko said.

Khole gasped when she finally realized Kumori's intention. As she swam across the ground, when she found herself underneath Resistance fighters, she used her shadow to swiftly engulf them before they knew what was going on. Yelling to look out wouldn't help, because with all of the moving shadows, it was impossible to pinpoint Kumori's exact position.

Ironically, the only way Zuko and Khole could stop her trail of destruction was to follow her trail of destruction, and they were none too happy about it.

After a minute, Khole saw that she had a moment, less than a second of opportunity. She leaped at it, and with the tip of her middle finger, she sent another burning pulse of energy into Kumori.

The Shadow Queen rose from the ground with another scowl.

"You're getting annoying. I believe that it is time to end this."

Zuko took a stance beside Khole, setting his hands ablaze with his violet flames. Kumori smiled evilly.

"Oh, yes. Today is my day. The day when TeaMeiya finally falls."

000

Back in the present, the chase continued, with Meiya closing the distance between herself and the Southern Raiders.

"She'll catch them and hurt them at this rate! We have to stop her!" Ischi said. "I'll raise a barrier!"

Ischi stopped and swiftly raised both hands in the air with a swift outward breath. Nothing happened.

"Where's the barrier?" Khole asked.

Ischi frowned, then tried again, once again with no result.

Frustrated, Ischi strained herself harder than she ever had, and pumped both hands with such intensity that vessels began to surface on her forehead and neck, but at this point, the only thing that was being raised was her blood pressure.

"Ischi, what's going on? Are you okay?" Zuko asked as he ran.

"I-I'm fine."

"Why can't you bend?"

"I don't know." Ischi said on the outside, but inside, she knew exactly why she couldn't bend. Her concentration shattered, her mind under a painful siege, and she was even beginning to show physical signs. Her PRS was destroying her from the inside-out.

In the lead, the Southern Raiders were about to penetrate the forest, when Meiya waved her hands against the ground, causing a blade of wind to shoot along the ground, pulling the feet of all three of the kids from under them.

They backed away fearfully as Meiya stood over then, her blue-green eyes piercing their souls.

Lu quickly took the pressure pipes out of his pack and held them up to Meiya.

"Here! You can have these stupid broken accordions! I can't get them to play anything, anyway, because of these stupid holes. Just don't kill us!"

Meiya smiled and raised her staff in the air, setting up to end all three of the children with one wind-strengthened slam.

"No!" yelled Zuko, lunging forward and tackling Meiya, sending both of them over the edge of the forest-side cliff nearby.

"Zuko!" Ischi yelled as her fiancé and her chaperone tumbled down the cliff face.

Zuko and Meiya hit the ground hard. Zuko slammed onto the sandy flats back-first, but Meiya struck her head. As Zuko reoriented himself, he noticed that Meiya's tattoos, eyes, and hairrow were now flashing 'brokenly', as if her body was a half-dead light bulb.

In Meiya's head, she could hear voices, malicious voices, whispering acid in her ears. Some voices she recognized as her cruel temple-mates who abused and insulted her in her youth. And she was able to discern several of the unkind phrases that stung her hearing.

"You don't deserve the title of Avatar!"

"Stupid wasp…"

"Anybody would make a better Avatar than you!"

"No wonder you have no friends!"

"Black-hearted wasp!"

"I bet ice runs through your veins!"

Meiya tried to cover her ears to drown out the cruel taunts, but shielding her ears only seemed to make the voices yell louder.

Meiya squeezed her eyes shut, but when she opened them again, she didn't see the sandy outlet she fell in. Instead, she was standing in the Shadow Clan's battlefield, surrounded by those she had encountered on her journey: her sister, her father, Kohi, Ischi, Zuko, Khole and Reigo.

Meiya tried to open her mouth and speak, but for some reason, her voice had left her.

Meiya's heart froze solid when the eyes of everyone surrounding her turned red, as if in the Dark Avatar State. Meiya's sister, Suni, reached forward and grabbed Meiya's wrist.

A searing pain that was both excruciatingly searing and unbearably frigid shot through her arm and crawled through her entire body. Meiya tried to scream out, only to remember that her voice was gone, and with a tight, painful grip on her wrist, Suni silently assured Meiya that there was no escape.

Suddenly, another wave of arcane agony ripped into her neck, and turning her eyes, Meiya saw Zuko, clutching the back of her neck extremely tight. The same pain then shot through the other arm and her stomach. Naga had grabbed the other arm and Kohi ripped at Meiya's clothes, clawing at her now-exposed stomach.

Yet another wave of pain shot into Meiya's back as Khole and Ischi as ripped at the clothes on Meiya's back and digging into her spine.

The others caught on as well and began ripping away at the rest of Meiya's clothes, until she stood in her undergarments, which were being tugged at as well.

The amazing pain of their touches coupled with the amazing shame of literally being stripped before her own eyes was too much for Meiya to bear, but she couldn't faint. She couldn't scream. She couldn't cry. And those loud, malicious voices were still stabbing at her eardrums.

Suddenly, the worst pain of all, which came from Reigo, burned right between her eyes.

All of a sudden, vivid visions began to stream before Meiya's eyes.

One vision quickly flashed in which a younger Meiya was verbally assaulted by one of her most passionate abusers. Upon looking closer, Meiya saw that her younger self was in tears, and her bullies were laughing at her pain. As quickly as the vision came upon her, it departed and was replaced by another vision of Kohi snapping at her, the first time the two friends met.

Meiya's third and final vision was of her and Zuko fist-fighting, at the exact moment when Meiya's face was scorched. To add a cruel twist, that very moment played over and over again, until Meiya's eyes bled.

All of this visual torture was coupled with her searing and frigid pain and the loud voices in her ears.

Though all of her senses were on fire, Meiya was able to discern a cold, chillingly familiar voice:

"_It doesn't have to be this way. All of your past pain, your past torture. All of it can go away, if you give it all to me… Give yourself to me, Meiya… Give your body, mind, and soul to me, and you will never have to feel these things again…"_

Meiya wanted so badly to scream: "No! Never!", but her voice was still missing.

All of a sudden, everything intensified. There was no other way to describe what Meiya was feeling, just pure, malevolent intensity. It was enough to cause a blood-freezing scream to rise from the pit of her stomach, which was heard on the outside world.

Zuko stared in pure astonishment as, after the anguished scream, Meiya collapsed, her tattoos glowing bright white.

000

Meiya slowly began to come to, and she was relieved to find that all of her clothes were back on her body. Her entire body ached, however. She stood and looked around, remembering the golden clouds of her conscience. But when she turned around, it was a completely different story.

An entire wall of the strange golden room was a disgusting, oily black. Meiya looked absolutely horrified. Curiosity almost killed the cat, for when Meiya walked up to examine the wall more closely, a dark, pale hand shot from the wall and lunged for her.

It would've grabbed her face if a strong hand hadn't pulled her backwards by the shoulder. Meiya looked up and saw Aang.

The dark hand clutched at the air, then slowly retracted back into the shadowy wall.

Meiya noticed that this time, Aang was not alone. Three other people stood behind him.

"Avatar Aang? What's going on?"

"It's beginning. The Dark Avatar is beginning to have lasting effects on you. This was only the initial trigger. Worry not, for I am fairly certain that it will not happen again for a while."

Meiya wanted to breathe a sigh of relief, but Aang wasn't finished.

"From now on, you should avoid anything that can destroy your focus. I'm not talking about distractions. What I mean is, avoid showing powerful emotion, even when no one is around. When you do that, the Dark Avatar can grab hold of you and chip away at your mind even more."

Meiya nodded in understanding, then turned her attention to the three others behind Aang. He noticed her look.

"These are friends of mine. Meiya, I'd like you to meet Avatar Korra, also known as The Peacemaker."

The dark-skinned girl wearing Southern Water Tribe garbs smiled and gave a polite curtsey.

"This is Avatar Bo Tan, the Purifier."

The tall, muscular Avatar extended his fist, a popular measure of greeting in the Earth Kingdom. Meiya smiled and touched her knuckles to his.

"And this is the Yin Brother, Avatar Hou."

Hou was the eldest of all four of the Avatars that stood before Meiya. He touched his left palm to his right fist, then bowed, a traditional Fire Nation greeting. Meiya did the same.

"These three will help me to help you. Now you have four spirit guides to rely on when you need help." Aang said. "Physical or otherwise."

"It is very nice to meet you all." Meiya said.

"Now, Meiya, it is time for me to send you back. Remember my warning." Aang said as he and the other three Avatars walked back into the golden clouds.

000

A violently drastic battle waged on back in the future. The older Zuko and Khole battled ferociously against Kumori, the sovereign of the Shadowbenders.

Zuko held back for just a moment as Khole lunged forward and jabbed at Kumori with Energybending-charged fingers, causing her to tremble and stumble.

Zuko saw the golden opportunity and lighted his hand again with the fatal violet flames. Zuko leaped at Kumori and brought his flame-charged hand down on Kumori's head, cleanly slicing her in half.

Zuko thought that it was finished and that the Shadow Sovereignty was finally over, but all of his hopes were dashed when the two halves of Kumori's body turned pitch-black, then rippled into a different form, morphing into two different Kumoris.

One Kumori jumped at Zuko, turning into a deformed blob of shadow which stuck fast to his body, tethering him to the ground.

"It's amazing what can be done with shadows." the other Kumori said to Khole, who stayed deathly silent.

"What's the matter? Cat got your tongue? I would never have pegged you as the silent type."

Khole squinted and lunged forward again. Kumori raised a wall of shadow, which Khole vaulted over with a spout of black water. She landed right in front of Kumori, and the two lunged out at the exact same type, tethering each other in the exact same position, two fingers on the right hand pressed to the opponent's forehead, and the entire left palm pressed above the opponent's chest. The stance of one of the most dangerous Energybending moves in existence.

Kumori chuckled.

"Well, this is quite the impasse, isn't it?" she asked, not expecting a response. "I guess it'll all come down to this. One of us is going to die in the next minute, and I'm actually uncertain if it'll be me or you. Let's see what fate will decide of this bout."

When Kumori finished, her eyes and inner mouth began to glow and eerie, ominous black, and Khole's facial features glowed a shining bluish-white.

"As the great Lion Turtle prophesied: In order the bend the energy in others, your own energy must be unbendable, or you will be corrupted and destroyed. Are you unbendable, Khole?"

As expected, Khole didn't respond.

All of a sudden, Khole and Kumori's entire bodies began to glow the respective colors of their facial features.

The bright colors began to 'wrestle' with each other, both trying to engulf and destroy the other.

For a moment, Khole's essence began to crawl up Kumori's arms, but then the essence retracted, and the opposite occurred. Kumori's dark essence overtook Khole's fairly quickly, until both she and Kumori's respective essences were glowing black.

"Khole! No!" Zuko screamed, but he was unable to help her. He could only watch in horror.

A sudden pulse of energy spread through Khole's body, and the dark essence began to retract back to Kumori.

Zuko's eyes widened, because the essence didn't give way to skin, but to stone. Khole's body had been completely petrified.

"Oh, don't look so forlorn, Zuko. She's not dead." Kumori said, turning around.

Suddenly, the Shadow Queen spun on her heel and roundhouse kicked the Khole statue in the head, shattering it. The rest of the statue began to fracture, before finally falling apart in a giant heap of rubble.

"Now she's dead."

"You… You monster! You disgusting animal!" Zuko screamed at the top of his lungs.

"Sticks and stones, Zuzu." Kumori said, pulling away the shadows that held Zuko. "It would be too easy to just kill you like that. I want my greatest moment of total victory to be my greatest challenge, so come at me with everything you have, Rebel Leader."

Zuko could barely contain the rage and grief of another close friend being destroyed at the hands of an evil woman who couldn't care less. In an instant, violet flames burst from his body and he leaped at Kumori with all the malice in the world glowing in his eyes.

**(A/N: Boy, this is one long filler arc, isn't it? Now, I thought I'd give a little glimpse of what's going on in the future's neck of the woods. Resistance rising, evil Shadow Sovereignty, and we now have a name for the Shadow Queen so I can finally stop calling her 'the woman'.**

**And now we know what happens when the Energy Well backfires. The Energy Well is that move that Aang did to Ozai to take away his bending. 'Energy Well' is not the official name, but it fits, doesn't it?**

**Try to think about this next statement. The Energy Well deadlock that Future Khole and Kumori initiated is a foreshadow for a future event. Think about it.**

**School starts on Monday and I've almost finished my summer reading, **_**Oliver Twist **_**by Charles Dickens. It's not my favorite book on summer reading, that title belong to **_**The Scarlet Pimpernel**_**, but it is kind of tolerable.**

**If you're a visual reader, then Meiya's little brain explosion may have been somewhat disturbing, like it was for me. Can you imagine something like that happening to you?**

**The next chapter will be the last filler, and we'll finally get back on track to the Southern Water Tribe, but don't be afraid to suggest future filler arcs.**

**Also, we have a ProSeason update. On the next ProSeason Q&A, we're going to have FIVE, count'em, FIVE guest appearances from Kumori, Twi, Su Li, Kaizu, and the now-unknown fifth column who we only know right now as 'Tsunade'. Send in your questions to the main stars, but send some to our guests as well!**

**Once again, this is SH10, signing out! ;))**


	18. MidSeason Q&A Prologue

Meiya: What are we doing here already? The Book isn't even a quarter over yet.

Me: An excellent question, Meiya, and what a perfect place to answer it! Welcome, loyal readers and viewers to our first-ever MidSeason Q&A!

(loud applause)

Now, because this is so short notice, our special guests are not here. They will be here ProSeason.

Meiya: So why are we here?

Me: Let me explain. I WAS finished with the next chapter, but somehow, my computer shut off by itself, (yes, it was plugged in…) so I lost everything because I didn't save and it didn't recover. I'm too frustrated to rewrite that entire thing over again, and I'm desperate to update, so I decided to fill space with this!

Meiya: But no one's gotten a chance to ask any questions.

Me:… Of course! I knew that all along! Heh heh. Send in your questions for THE MAIN CAST! The next chapter will be our first-and-only MidSeason Q&A! SEND IN YOUR QUESTIONS!


	19. MidSeason Q&A

Me: Welcome, one and all! This…is MidSeason Q&A!

-loud applause!-

Today, we have some super-special guests today! We welcome the rebel of the future, Future Zuko, the Shadow Sovereign, Kumori, and her son, Kaizu.

Kaizu: I appreciate the detailed description.

Me: Anytime, buddy. Now, to start off- To start off, has anybody seen the REAL Zuko?

Future Zuko: I am the real Zuko, you mean the past Zuko.

Me: Whatever, where is he?

Meiya: I haven't seen him lately.

Ischi: Me neither.

Me: Oh, well. I hope he comes around before his questions come up. Now! Let's start off with an excellent all-around question from TeamAvatar. Based on your personalities, which Naruto character do you think you'd be?

Kohi: I call Hinata! Believe it!

Meiya: You can't 'call' anybody, you dope. You have to look at your personality, then decide.

Kohi: Hmph! Well, you're Sasuke, for sure!

Meiya: What? I am not!

Me: You know, Meiya, I think Kohi has a point.

Khole: I agree.

Ischi: Here, here.

Meiya: That is totally inaccurate! First of all, Sasuke is GAY! And no, I'm not going to apologize to you lonely, obsessive fangirls out there. That chicken-haired bastard is G-A-Y. Second, he's a friggin' emo! You can see it in his eyes. If you roll up his sleeves, I'm certain you'll find that his wrists and arms are slit all over the place. It's how he gets off. Now, all joking aside, Kohi, I think you'd be Naruto.

Kohi: Really?

Meiya: Yeah. You don't have an off-switch. You're annoying, loud, numbskulled, and… That's it. That's all you are.

Kohi: Untrue! I'm pretty, powerful, and smart, too!

Meiya: Smart is questionable, but I'll give you the other two.

Zuko (as he runs in, panting): Did I miss anything?

Me: Just in time! Methinks I'll give the question to both you and Ischi. Which Naruto characters would you be?

Zuko: Minato, definitely.

Ischi: I'd be Kushina.

Reigo: They're both dead. Does that count?

Meiya: And is it just coincidence that that couple is married?

Ischi: -sticks her tongue out at Meiya-

Khole: Personally, I think you're more like Asuma and Kurenai.

Zuko: Minato and Kushina are cooler. Besides, I'd rather both of us be dead than one of us having to live without the other.

Ischi: Aw. That's so…sweet?

Khole: I think I'd be Kiba. Kiba's powerful, wild, crazy, and he loves animals!

Reigo: Hmm… I'm not sure who I'd be.

Kohi: I'd say Konan. She's really dark, mysterious, and a little emo.

Reigo: That is…probably true.

Kaizu: I've been told by other that I'm similar to Itachi.

Me: You've been told by me.

Kaizu: It counts, doesn't it?

Future Zuko: Since my past self is Minato, does that mean that I'm Minato, too?

Me: By the natural order of selection, yes.

Future Zuko: Darn it. I wanted Sarutobi.

Kumori: I think that I'd be-

All: Madara.

Kumori: Madara?

Meiya: Yeah, you're the evil mastermind. Madara fits perfectly.

Kumori: Well…I guess.

Me: As you can see, our guests are a little uncertain as to who they'd be in another universe, which I don't blame them for at all, so since you readers are technically trans-dimensional, give your opinion as to who you think our characters would be! Now, let's start answering some questions. Meiya, we'll start with you.

Meiya: Shoot.

Me: Neoninja2 asks: You're Avatar is a real b*tch.

Kohi: -snicker-

Me:…

Meiya:… Uh… That's not a question. Just a rude comment.

Me: How do you respond? Do you agree? Disagree?

Meiya: I admit that at times I can be a bit…

Kohi: Mean?

Ischi: Uncaring?

Zuko: Crude?

Reigo (morphs to teenage form): B*tchy?

Meiya: Thank you, my good friends… Anyway, I guess I can be…all of that, sometimes.

Me: Alrighty, then. Moving down the line to Kohi. No one reviewed you a direct question, but imawordbender did mention your wackiness in one of her filler reviews. Care to comment?

Kohi: I thought we covered that in the last Q&A.

Me: We did?

Kohi: Yeah. See?

-flashback-

_Kohi: I've been eccentric for as long as I can remember. I can't remember anything of my past since I was six, however. My parents told me I was dropped on my head at about that time, but can't feel any scars or stitches. They told me that until that point, I was kind of quiet and withdrawn. I don't believe them, though!_

-end flashback-

Me: Oh! I guess we did. Okay, Ischi. I'll ask your question a little later. We're skipping over to Zuko. Neoninja2 asks: How old are the twins?

Zuko: Twi and Su Li? They're sixteen, why?

Me: Neoninja2 wanted to know if he/she needed to use mind-bleach.

Zuko: Mind-bleach?

Me: Maybe he/she'll explain if he/she leaves a comment. And now we're rolling on down to Khole's question. Imawordbender asks: Is your name pronounced 'klo-ee' or 'koal'?

Khole: My name is similar to the word coal, so if anyone ever forgets how my name is pronounced, just think, 'coal'.

Me: I'd also like to discuss the origin of Khole's name. Interestingly enough, I originally wanted to name her Khloe, but then I thought 'Kardashian', and immediately scratched the name 'Khloe' off of the list, and by switching the letters around, I made Khole's cool name! Now, onto some questions for the guests and Reigo.

Reigo: What? I'm not a main character anymore?

Me: Semi-main. You haven't appeared as often anymore.

Reigo: Well, whose fault is that?

Me: Let's just move on. Kaizu, I almost couldn't believe it. Two people asked the same question about you!

Kaizu: Really?

Me: Yeah, you're pretty popular. But imawordbender asked more from you, so we'll see what she has to say first, then ask the big question. First question from imawordbender: I really like you, so why do you have to be a bad guy?

Kumori: Because I say so!

Kaizu: Mother, please! -Hrm hmm!- Now, why am I a bad guy? Well, seeing as the alternative is death…

Kumori: Now, you know I would never kill you, Kaizu. Intentionally. At most, 24 hours of excruciating torture, followed by life in my dungeon until you concede.

Kaizu: And there you have it. That's why I'm an antagonist.

Me: O…kay… Next question from imawordbender: Are you cut from a different cloth than your mother and sister?

Kaizu: Yes. The 'cloth' that I am cut from is my late father.

Kumori: The no-good spineless bastard…

Kaizu: Mother!

Kumori: It's true and you know it!

Kaizu: -sigh- Father was a good man. He joined the rebel cause, and was one of Mother's first casualties.

Kumori: Hmph!

Me: Your answer leads me to my next question: Why not join the rebel cause then, eh?

Kaizu: Eh? Okay, then. The answer to that question lies within the answer to the last one. I know that I would never defeat Mother in a fight, so if I joined the Resistance, I knew that I'd eventually face her, and ultimately die, like Future Zuko's friends.

Future Zuko: Hey! That was uncalled for!

Me: Now, for the question that two people asked about.

Me and Kaizu: Why don't you like senseless destruction?

Me: You knew?

Kaizu: I saw it coming a mile away. Everybody wants to know. Well, as I mentioned before, I am cut from my father's cloth, and Father didn't like what Mother was doing to the world. Unlike Reigo, who always has to push the envelope, I only do what I'm told and I don't kill anyone unless it is specifically and emphatically required of me. My powers, however, are very destructive by pure nature, so following my principles is difficult.

Me: Thank you, Kaizu. Now, for Kumori. We got a LOT of questions for you.

Kumori: Excellent. Go on, then.

Me: Okay, TeamAvatar asks: Kumori is a PSYCHO!

Kumori: …

Me: Okay, not a question. What else is there? Oh, yes! I got a lot of PMs for Kumori's questions from too many readers to list, so I'll just state the questions. One reader asks: Go to hell, b*tch! Another asks: Motherf*cker killed Khole! Surprisingly, many readers sent the same question, but in different forms, so I'll just read the funniest ones: Can I get that crazy chick's number?, and: How much for an hour with her and her %&$#*?

Kumori: -drops jaw-

Me: Not done yet. Another asked: I'd like to meet the brave man who stepped into HER comfort zone more than once.

Meiya: Oh, snap!

Kumori: Where are the REAL questions?

Me: Hold on a sec. imawordbender asks: I know who you are! Beware! Mwahahaha!

Kumori: … Well, that's disturbing. Anything else?

Me: Yeah. Here's a real question from TeamAvatar: What was that thing you were talking to before you went into the city?

Kumori: Finally, a good question. You'll have to find out in the next chapter. Now, who were the readers who made those rude remarks?

Me: Not allowed to tell you. Next question for Future Zuko from imawordbender: You are my favorite, ever! Down with the Shadowbenders!

Future Zuko: Amen to that!

Kumori: I don't respect that!

Me: But seriously, imawordbender asked: Where is your Ischi in the future? Is it a spoiler?

Future Zuko: I can tell you ABOUT Future Ischi without spoiling anything, but, and you have to listen to get this, I can't tell you EXACTLY WHERE she is. Now, Kumori would've killed Ischi if I kept her around me, so I hid her in a classified location. I still love her with all of my heart, though. Past Zuko, listen to me. Somewhere along the line, you and Ischi's relationship will be put to the ultimate test. I'm not going to tell you anything more, for Past Ischi's sake, but just remember how much you love her, and never give up that love. It'll pay off in the long run, trust me.

Zuko: Yes, sir.

Me: Alrighty, next question for the Shadowbenders from imawordbender: Is there anything Shadowbending can't do?

Reigo: Apparently, it can't kill annoying bastards who keep getting in the way. -glares at TeaMeiya-

Kaizu: Shadowbending can't do anything morally good. That's the simplest way to answer it.

Me: imawordbender also suggests that Shadowbending may have a weakness, somewhere. Any comments?

Kumori: Well, obviously, we can't Shadowbend in the daytime. Or in anyplace where there are little shadows to work with, which is once again, the daytime. But, since the moon is stuck in the sky, blotting the sun, that's not a problem for us anymore! Mwahahaha!

Me: Last question on Shadowbending: Where and how did Shadowbending come to be? Imawordbender believes that Kumori created it using the darkness within herself.

Kumori: Hit it right on the nose. My emotions were so powerfully dark that it allowed me to control the darkness outside my mind as well.

Me: Thank you guys very much! But now, there's one thing left.

000

Ischi: Hey, where'd everybody go? Where'd WE go?

Me: It's just you and me, Ischi. At the Table of Interrogation. Nobody else is here, and the only person who can see us now is you, me, and the readers. Now, I called you in here because imawordbender would like to ask you a personal question that the others cannot hear.

Ischi: Oh no…

Me: When are you going to tell someone and get some help? Because the others will start to get suspicious if they discover that you can't bend.

Ischi: -throws her head into the air and screams before slamming it back onto the table and sobbing and crying dramatically-

Me: It's okay, Ischi. It's okay. I'm here to help you.

Ischi: I'm sorry, -sniff!- but I'm still not ready to talk to anybody about it. I know that it's starting to affect me physically, but I'm afraid. Zuko's eventually going to hear about it sooner or later, and what if he won't love me the same anymore? What if he breaks off the marriage? What if he gets so mad, he hurts me? So many things could happen, and none of them are good!

Me: It'll all work itself out, Ischi. There'll be some rough times, but I'm sure Zuko won't blame you. Tell him about it before it's too late.

Ischi: Okay, I'll try.

Me: Thanks, Ischi, now let's go back to the others!

000

Me: And we're back! Thanks everyone, for all of your questions! We'll see you next time, ProSeason! Although, I can't shake the feeling that I forgot something…

Oh, yeah! Next chapter, I'm introducing the third and final Weapon of Discord, the first two being the Judgment Scale and the S.S Chaos. It's called the Devourer. Each of the Weapons of Discord is based off of something else. Each one is from a different genre entirely! Next chapter, you'll have the opportunity to guess what each Weapon is based off of. I'll tell you now, you'll have to be VERY diverse in both fiction and nonfiction to guess where they originate! Till next time, readers!

All: SEEYA!


	20. The Sovereign's Last Stand

"Meiya…Meiya, are you okay?"

Those fuzzy words were what stirred Meiya awake. She slowly fluttered her eyes open, even though what she really wanted to do was close them and fall asleep.

Nevertheless, Meiya fought back her tiredness and sat up straight.

"Are you okay?" asked Zuko.

"Yeah. I think I'm alright." Meiya said, stretching.

"Here." said a sad voice behind Meiya. She turned and saw Kosa, holding the four blue pressure pipes up to her.

"Thanks." Meiya said, and then noticed the upset expression on the young Southern Raider's face. "What's the matter?"

"It's just that, seeing the way that you almost killed us, maybe being the Southern Raiders isn't really worth it." Kosa explained sadly.

"You don't have to be. Why don't you go back to Whale Tail Village, where you belong?"

"The village wants nothing to do with us, and both of our parents are dead." Xi seconded.

"Well, I'm sure if you throw down your wooden swords and promise never to use them again, the village will accept you."

"Will you swear for us?" Lu asked.

"What do you mean?"

"On our own word, the Village will never believe us, but if the Avatar pledges for us, we have a better chance of being accepted."

"Well, since I owe you guys one, I guess I'll come with you. Guys, can you take the pipes back to the Bison? I'll catch up in a second."

Kohi nodded and took the pipes from Meiya, starting toward the Bison with the others following

000

"Fire!"

At the sound of the Fire Lady's command, several sub-average plumes of flame shot from the hands of all available Firebenders, trying to melt the thick ice that beached Twi and Su Li's borrowed cruise ship. It worked, to a degree (pun intended). The ice was definitely melting, but at a very slow rate.

"Again! Fire!" Ara yelled again, with similar results.

"We've been at this for an hour. There's just too much ice." Su Li groaned. "It'll take us at least a couple of days to free the ship."

"The time will fly right by!" said Twi, who was playing with the nearby snow. "We can't tell what day it is anymore, so that shouldn't discourage us."

"I didn't think I'd have to say this so soon in life, but you're right, Twi." Su LI said, encouragement rising in her voice. "Who knew that you'd be the one to lift up my spirits?"

"Not me, that's for sure." Twi said good-humouredly. She had climbed to the top of the snow bank she was playing with. "Su! Come check this out!"

The other brown-haired teen was struck curious by her twin's sudden surprise. She looked back at Ara, who was too busy yelling, "Fire!" to focus on anything else, shrugged, and followed Twi up the snow bank.

"Wow! What in the world is that?"

Both twins were staring, wide-eyed at an orb of whirling snow over the horizon. They had never seen snow do that before. What was even more shocking was that the large snow orb seemed to be moving across the ground.

"Wanna go check it out?" Twi asked.

"I don't know. It may be dangerous."

"Or, it may be something awesome! Come on!" Twi screamed, ignoring her sister's warning and sliding down the hill towards the strange force of nature.

"Twi! Wait!" Su LI groaned, reluctantly sliding after her.

000

In the darkened, cloud-filled sky of the future, the small 'dwarf machine' careened dynamically into the sky, tearing through the thick, black airborne smog like a knife through wool. Once the machine broke the cloud line, its intended target was in sight: the moon.

Decades of festering darkness and rotting shadows had turned the moon into an inky, black shell of what it once was. It looked as if it was in danger of falling out of the sky.

Once the machine struck the moon's surface, it vanished completely, leaving absolutely no trace of its previous presence, save for the shadowed moon's pulsating surface.

The dwarf machine reemerged form another darkened moon, the moon of the present. It never stopped flying upwards until now, and instead began to tumble to the ground at a rapid pace.

"What is that?" asked one of the gruff-voiced Shadowbenders who looked up and noticed the falling machine.

"Ah. The final Weapon of Discord has arrived." Kaizu said with a touch of malice in his voice.

"What do we do with it?" asked a nearby Bender Elite.

"The Devourer is nothing like the Judgment Scale or the S.S Chaos, except that its design once again originates from the naïve mind of the late Fire Lord's son, Prince Zuko. It is equipped with an artificial brain, so to speak. Nothing that this primitive time has ever witnessed."

"Artificial brain? Explain, brother?" Reigo's voice said. Near the Shadow Fire hearth, the owner of the smooth, melodic voice rose from the blackened earth and sat in a cross-legged position between the two Shadowbenders she originally traveled with.

"Machinery that is designed to act on its own. The deep mechanics of it are a mystery even to me, and everything I learned about it, I learned from Mother. Mother knows how it works, but she says that the only thing that matters is that it does its job, which leads me to believe that the true complexities of the Devourer are lost even on her.

"By this time, the falling machine flew over the Clan's heads, crashing behind the hills.

"So, if nobody know how it works, what are we supposed to do with it?" Reigo asked with a raised eyebrow.

"We don't have to do anything." Kaizu said, looking behind him at the hills where the machine crashed. "The Devourer will do all the work itself."

Behind the darkened hills lay the smoldering crash site, where the small orb-shaped machine sat dormant.

After a couple of still moments, a small, mechanical 'eye' opened on the front of the strange thing.

Under seemingly no power of its own, the orb began to float. It hummed lowly as it stayed suspended in the air. The eye began to look around.

"So, what exactly does the Devourer do?" Reigo asked.

"Contrary to its title, the Devourer doesn't really eat anything. It gets its name from the way it grows." Kaizu started.

The floating machine beeped and clicked frustratedly. It didn't seem to be able to find whatever it was looking for.

"It can grow, asked another Bender Elite.

"Yes. The Devourer has the potential to mature to a colossal stature. It can do this by collecting metal."

The Devourer scoped the area one last time, and the humming sound intensified when it noticed the tall pile of mangled Fire Nation war machines.

"It can take any metal it sees and attach it to its body," Kaizu continued. "but first it must meld the metal to fit its needs. It does this with its construct tendrils."

The Devourer's hard metal skin began to quiver, and suddenly, square compartments opened up on its sides, revealing four flexible, clawed tendrils, each equipped with a small welding torch in the 'palm'. With an almost chilling sense of glee, the robot barreled forward, into the pile of metal.

"Once the Devourer 'eats' the metal, it'll become progressively larger and stronger." Kaizu said, looking back as he heard the sound of grinding steel and bending iron.

"It sounds like our little friend found the scrap pile." Reigo observed.

Kaizu nodded and waited for the grinding to come to a halt before standing and walking to the hills.

The Devourer had indeed grown. It bent all the plain metal together into a skeleton, which its central unit rested on. After that, it tore the treads from the broken Fire Nation tanks and used the naked chassis as body armor and leg constructs. The stripped-off treads were 'woven' onto the skeleton as arms.

The tank carcasses made up most of the leg and feet area, and long halberd heads found on the persons of most of the dead Firebenders were made into the Devourer's fingers.

Overall, the tall, bulky, mechanical beast looked like it was stitched sloppily together.

Extending from a port on the Devourer's chest was a swath of tendrils that were bending and melding another piece of bare scrap. After a few seconds, a large, horned war helmet was produced, which the Devourer wore on its 'head' to shield its exposed central unit. The purplish light emanating from the machine's eye produced an ominous glow in the helmet's eyeholes.

"Excellent. You have constructed a mobile unit, as I knew you would. Now, we are not going to war right away, so you can travel around for a few days to gather weapons for yourself, if possible. Here is a tracker so we may call you back here when the time is right."

Kaizu walked up to the bulky robot and twisted a small device onto its chest. Instead of beeping and clicking, the Devourer made a metallic humming sound, then turned and lumbered off to search for more metal.

The spectacled man stared after the living weapon for a moment more, before turning back and walking to the Clan's campsite again.

000

The ruined city of the future Shadow Sovereignty was alive with flares of fantastic violet flames. Everybody, even the Rebellion troops, steered clear of Zuko's wrath, because those in the crossfire would never have a chance.

Kumori had become intensely serious, and instead of playfully dancing out of the way of Zuko's attacks like before, she was genuinely making an effort to take his life.

"Your sovereignty will end in fire, Kumori. The light of my strength will be your destruction!" Future Zuko yelled

"Darkness is everlasting. Darkness came first. You cannot destroy a shadow, but you can easily destroy that which gives light!" Kumori retorted. "This charade has dragged on for years. Far too long, Zuko. It ends today."

With a twisted smile, the Shadow Sovereign sunk into the ground.

Kumori's shadow began to quiver, then exploded outward, creating far too many shadows to count. Every shadow rose out of the ground, revealing an impossible number of Kumoris.

"You are outnumbered and outmatched, Zuko. If you surrender yourself to me now, I'll make sure that your death will be quick and painless."

With a furious scream and a burst of his majestic inferno, the Rebel Leader leaped at the nearest Kumori copy.

000

In another part of the city, a core group of six people were hastily running through the streets. The young lady in the center of the group kept one hand on her swelled stomach, and the other was interlocked with the hand of her lover, a young man about the same age. In front of them was an older woman with bright blue eyes that gave away a sense of fatigue. Bringing up the rear was a group of three, two men and one woman, who slung stones at the Bender Elites that were launching fireballs at them.

Each of the three stone-slingers had a crest on their right shoulder that read 'SR'.

"The city limits are so close! We only need a few more seconds!" the woman in front called. "Raiders! How are you doing back there?"

"We're running out of stones, Ischi! What do we do?" asked the lone female fighter.

"Use whatever you have left, Xi! We're almost there! Moora, Cheng? Are you still with me?" Ischi asked the pregnant young woman directly behind her.

Moora and the man beside her known as Cheng nodded.

"Good. Stay close. Things could heat up at any moment."

"Why do we have to leave now?" Moora asked.

"You want to stay here? We've been trying to escape this place for years. This isn't our home, Moora. We were prisoners. Now that we have the opportunity to escape, we can find ourselves a real home."

"What about Zuko?" asked Cheng.

"Zuko will be fine. I just know it. After he kills…Kumori, and gets Republic City back on its feet, he'll follow us, and we'll all be a family again. I just know it."

Ischi turned the corner onto the next empty street, and she caught her breath. Less than fifty meters away was the city limit, the literal gateway to freedom.

Ischi turned back to stare at the purplish glow that lit up the center of the city.

"Thank you, Zuko." she whispered, then turned back and began to run toward the gate. Moora and Cheng tried their best to keep up.

"We're really going to make it, Mother! We're home-"

"Don't say 'free'! That phrase is a curse!" Ischi said, remembering her adolescent days when TeaMeiya was all together again. "Raiders! Are you still with us?"

Ischi turned around to see the three Southern Raiders sprinting toward them with empty hands. The had run out of ammo.

"Keep running! We're almost there!" Kosa called from behind.

Ischi and the rest of her family cleared about half of the distance, but she had to come screeching to a halt when a troop of Airbender Elites came flying out of the alleys. They extended their metal staffs and stood their ground. Behind the Raiders, Firebender Elites were on their tails, blocking the other path as well.

"Mother! We're surrounded! What do we do?" Moora asked, cowering away from the stone-faced soldiers.

"You, Moora? You stay put for now." Ischi whispered. When the fighting starts, I'll cover you while you run as fast as you can out of the line of fire."

"But, what if you're killed like the rest of your friends?"

"I'm not going to die. I promise you. On my signal."

The Bender Elites on either side of the escapees took a fighting stance.

It happened in an instant. Wearing an expression that was set with strength and determination, Ischi stomped on the ground and lunged both hands forward. A torrent of dust and stone exploded from the ground and overtook the traitorous Airbenders almost instantly.

"Moora! Go, now!"

As soon as the order was given, the expectant mother began to run as fast as she could toward the gates. Within a few seconds, she was panting and sweating, and was about to topple, but new strength was imbued in her when she felt the strong hands of her husband supporting her. She and Cheng ran together toward the city gates, while Ischi and the Southern Raiders fought with their lives against the Bender Elites.

"We're winning! They're backing off!" Kosa yelled, fighting off the Firebenders with a bowie knife that he had sheathed in his belt. He stopped and looked up when a massive shadow blackened the entire battlefield.

His jaw dropped when he saw the pale purple eyes of the Devourer staring down at the skirmish. The colossal machine slowly raised one arm and slowly swung it up and down, knocking heavy scrap from its limb, which fell like asteroids toward the earth.

"Run! Look out!" Xi yelled.

Everyone within the range of the large falling scrap had to scramble to avoid it, even the calm and collected Bender Elites. Ischi clasped her hands together and raised a sphere shield of stone to defend herself.

The scrap tore the ground apart, giving the fighters less space to dodge in.

And then it happened. As Lu was running toward the narrow alleyways, one quick-thinking Airbender Elite extended his staff and tripped him, causing him to tumble right into the fall path of the fatal piece of scrap that crushed his head.

Lu's death was painless and instant, and it all happened within a half a second, just long enough to completely blow Kosa's mind, who witnessed all of it and knew that it was no accident on Lu's part.

"Lu! NO!" Xi screamed, clasping a hand against her mouth and falling to her knees in sorrow and grief.

Kosa dropped his head, shadowing his tear-filled eyes.

Xi looked up and wiped her eyes, then noticed that Kosa was clenching and grinding his teeth together, and his fists were clenched so tight that his knuckles turned chalk-white.

"K-Kosa?" Xi blubbered.

"Xi, get out of here." Kosa said, his voice barely above a whisper.

"Wh-What?"

"Go. I'll handle the Elites."

"But, Kosa-"

"Just go!"

Xi quickly stood and gave Kosa one last frightened stare before running over to where Ischi was single-handedly destroying the Airbender Elites that were swarming her.

Ischi looked up for one second to see that Cheng and Moora had successfully made it out of the city.

"Now it's our turn!" the master Earthbender said, slamming both fists into the ground and sending a powerful shockwave into the spine of every Bender Elite directly in front of her, clearing a swathe for her and Xi to start running. The other Elites, however, were right on their tails.

Just as the red-trimmed warriors were about to overtake the two women, Kosa leaped from out of nowhere and tackled one of the Firebenders, ending him with one swing of his single-edged knife.

"I'll hold them off for as long as I can! Get out of here, now!" Kosa yelled as the others surrounded him.

Ischi nodded and turned, pulling Xi along with her, toward the city gates.

Kosa turned into an animal. The first Bender Elite he leaped for was the Airbender who sealed Lu's fate. He shoved the bowie knife into the soldier's chest, killing him instantly. Once that was over, he leaped at any other soldier who came at him with wild eyes. One Firebender Elite got a lucky shot in and scorched Kosa's back.

Kosa either didn't feel it or was too enraged to, because he didn't even flinch as the searing flames peeled the skin right off of his body. He kept putting down more and more Bender Elites, left and right.

Another Firebender Elite, shot a plume of flame at Kosa, igniting his entire body, but still he fought on, as if he didn't exist for any other purpose.

Xi had reached the gate and kept running to catch up to Moora and Cheng, but Ischi stopped and turned back to Kosa, who caught her glance and, through the engulfing flames, gave her a grave nod.

Ischi gave the Raider leader one last salute before stepping out of the gate and raising an upheaval of stone over the gate to keep from being followed.

Kosa fought on with an unheard-of fierceness, until his vision began to close in and he felt as if time were slowing down around him.

Eventually, the darkness overtook him and he fell to the ground, leaving a swathe of fallen Elites in his wake.

Kosa truly died a Southern Raider's death.

000

Back to the central battle at hand, Future Zuko fought fiercely against the army of Kumori clones, all the while looking around to see if he could determine which was the real Kumori.

There, out of the corner of his right eye, he spotted one Kumori who apparently wanted no part of the action and simply stood to the side.

'Of course!' Zuko thought. 'Being split up evenly into so many different forms, Kumori is at her very weakest! Of course the real one isn't going to join the fight!'

That being thought, Zuko changed direction and began to barrel toward the loner Kumori, who tried to escape.

Zuko's heart almost stopped as he saw that his lunge was a success and his fire-fueled fist tore right through Kumori's chest.

On cue, all of the other Kumoris melted into shadows and shriveled.

She coughed, spitting out a tainted wad of black blood onto the ground.

"It's finally over, Kumori. Any last words?"

"I have words. But they won't be my last." said Kumori's voice, which didn't come from the person that Zuko had attacked.

All of a sudden, the Rebel Leader's eyes widened as thick, sharp spines of shadow tore through his own chest.

Zuko slowly turned his head and his eyes dulled when he saw that he was staring into another Kumori's face. The REAL Kumori's face.

The Kumori that Zuko killed melted into shadow.

"How gullible of you, Zuko." Kumori said dryly. "You've failed yourself and your friends for the last time. I'll leave you to breathe your last breaths while I clean up the streets that are littered with the bodies of your fallen troops."

Zuko clawed at his chest as he fell to his knees, then on his face. His breathing became swift and shallow, and his vision began to blur.

"I-I'm sorry, Ischi… I really have failed you… A-And…Meiya… I…I…"

Zuko couldn't finish his final benediction. He breathed out one last time, and saw no more, his face forever frozen in an expression of sorrow.

000

Back in the past, Zuko frowned and touched his chest, which tingled for just an instant. When he looked up again, Meiya emerged from the nearby brush, smiling.

"All went well?" Ischi asked.

"Yeah. The Raiders cut a deal with the hotel manager. If they agree to not pester the village and do community service until they're old enough to know better, he'll let them stay for free in one of his rooms."

"That's great!" Kohi said. "And we've reinstalled the pressure pipes, so the Sky Bison will fly again!"

"Awesome. Thanks, guys. Now, no more dillydallying. We've got a whole two days to make up. Shove off!"

Meiya jumped into the saddle of the Bison and pulled the clutch, satisfied with the feel of it now.

The wooden machine rose into the air, starting its path southward toward the Southern Water Tribe.

**(A/N: Okay, now I know that this particular chapter left more questions than answers, but don't worry. Most of these questions will be answered in the next chapter. Now, for the challenge mentioned last chapter. You've now seen all three Weapons of Discord, and all three are based off of something. I'll give you some hints next chapter, but try your best and give your guesses now.**

**Before we go, there's something else I want to ask of you. You don't have to do this, but I'd really appreciate it. On my profile is a poll asking who your favorite character is in the story. If you don't mind, I'd like it if you give your votes, and if I like the results, I'll post them on the ProSeason Q&A!**

**One more thing! I've noticed that as of late, only imawordbender, TeamAvatar, and aguywithnorealaccount has been reviewing. Don't get the wrong idea, guys, I have absolutely no problem with this since I know you're reading, and I love all of you who are dedicated to helping! It's just that I'd like to see a little more from everyone else who has some ideas for fillers or questions for ProSeason, so please, my viewers, REVIEW! Until next time! -^^-)**


	21. The Southern Water Tribe At Last!

**(A/N: -The following made-up announcement is completely true.-**

**Hello, my viewers! I am pleased to announce that the big-shot moviemakers of Focus Features have seen my little ficlet and are currently in the process of making it into a major-motion picture!**

**A director hasn't been chosen yet (I can tell you who's NOT directing it), but I already have a cast member.**

**Kohi will be played by yours truly. ^^**

**Here is a visual sketch of the main characters:**

**Ischi: light-skinned, brown hair, blue eyes, average height (5' 6")**

**Zuko: Light-skinned, no scar, golden eyes, a few inches taller than Ischi, average build**

**Khole: As dark skinned as any Water Tribe member, mid-length brown eyes, brown hair, a little shorter than Ischi.**

**Meiya: Long blonde, brown hairrow, blue-green eyes, kind of tall, serious-looking 97% of the time.**

**Kohi: Brunette, about as tall as Meiya, crazily exciting (like me!), grey eyes**

**That's all me and Focus Features have right now, but feel free to suggest any other people who should be cast.**

**One more news flash! As of late, my dreams have gotten a little off-kilter. They've been becoming so interesting that if I remember any of it the next morning, you can be sure that I'll tell you guys about it right here, so you all can share in my weirdness. -^_^-**

**Now, enjoy this chapter!) **

Meiya looked on with tired eyes at the open ocean. They passed the occasional glacier and/or ice floe, but no large land mass was coming into view.

"How far away are we from the Southern Water Tribe?" Zuko asked with a yawn.

"It shouldn't be that far. In fact, we should be seeing it by now."

"I'm so tired…" Kohi said, laying down on the Bison. "I can't sleep on this hard wooden thing." When are we getting there?"

"I don't know. Quit bellyaching!" Meiya snapped.

Meiya turned at the sound of retching, and her eyes widened when she saw Ischi reeling over the side of the airship, spilling her guts into the water below.

"Ischi, I've never seen you like this before. Is it a virus?" Zuko asked, stroking Ischi's back as she leaned back into the Bison. Her face had paled and she was shivering.

"Meiya, something's really wrong with Ischi." Zuko said worriedly. "When are-"

"Don't ask when we're getting there! If I knew, I'd have told you!"

"Can you at least pick up speed?"

"Do you feel like getting launched from the Bison? Because that's what's going to happen if I go any faster than this. The air is thin and gravity is weak at this altitude. And before you suggest I go lower, if I do, we'll have less visibility in any direction. The night is already as thick as fog. The last thing we need is to pass the Southern Water Tribe and not even know it."

"There it is! There it is! We're passing it!" Khole yelled, jumping and pointing at a huge hilly island of ice off to one side.

"Hold on!" Meiya yelled, making a sudden sharp right turn, throwing everybody into the left wall of the Bison saddle.

Afterwards, Ischi leaned over the side and immediately began to vomit again.

"Sorry. Don't worry, though. We're almost there." Meiya said, looking down on the white wonderland below.

000

Minutes later, the Sky Bison landed its six landing gear legs on the rough ice right outside the Water Tribe. Describing TeaMeiya's location was difficult. It was a land of ice. Soft snow seemed to forever fall from the grey clouds that hung overhead.

Nearby, a small group of people began to emerge from the village gates with a wary air about them.

Meiya jumped from the Bison and walked up to greet the tribe members.

The elderly man in the centered stared at Meiya.

"Halt, Airbender." the man said with a strong voice and an even stronger arm being held out to stop Meiya. "State your business here."

"Greetings. I am Meiya, the Avatar, and I am here to learn-"

"Master Rodik!" yelled Khole, who hobbled rapidly toward her old master.

"Khole, my girl! How have you been? Your leg is telling me 'Not well.'"

"Yeah, but I'm fast on the path to recovery! I'm starting to get feeling back into this leg."

"And your Beast Pacification training?"

"Oh, yeah… I got sidetracked on the way, and now I'm helping Meiya on her Avatar journey."

"That's right, I need-"

"She needs to learn Waterbending! You're the best Waterbender here! I'm sure you could teach her."

Meiya frowned, but Rodik's frown was far more intense.

"You don't know?"

"Know what?"

"Since the moon darkened, Waterbending has become next to impossible. Those who have enough strength and willpower can bend just a little, like me. But not enough to teach you."

At that moment, Meiya's entire heart leaped into her throat, then down into the pit of her stomach.

"B-But, there's got to be someone who can teach me! Anybody!"

"Even if there was someone who was a more powerful Waterbender than me, which is also next to impossible, they wouldn't be able to teach YOU, because right now, you are completely lost on the art, and no matter how much you claim it's not true, I can tell by looking at you that you have neither the strength nor the willpower to fight the darkened moon."

"But we have no way to fix the moon!" Khole said.

"Technically, that's not my problem, but there may be a way… No! It's impossible. No way it can be done." Rodik murmured, half to himself.

"What? What is it? Come on, Master Rodik! If there's even a chance we can teach Meiya Waterbending, we need to know what it is!"

"You'll have to find a new source." Rodik said flatly.

Meiya thought for a long moment. "A new…source?"

"That's what I said. The moon was the original source of Waterbending, right? Since the moon is no longer a factor, it would only make sense to try to find a new source. But there's no way that can be done."

"Meiya! Meiya!" Zuko yelled.

Meiya looked behind her and saw Zuko carrying Ischi over to them.

"Ischi's in worse shape than before!"

Meiya looked at the shivering form in Zuko's arms and gasped.

Ischi's entire body had become very pale. Ever her raven hair had lost its luster. She could barely keep her eyes open, and her breathing was shallow. Her body heat had also intensified to the point where touching her forehead felt like touching a half-dead hearth.

"Oh, my…" said a woman who walked up to Ischi and examined her. Meiya was stunned by how much she looked like Khole.

"This looks like a physical illness… But, it's not. At least not entirely. Khole, can you come and examine her wavelength?"

"Sure, mom." Khole said, touching Ischi's head with two fingers. Green energy began to flow through Ischi's form, but it was very dim and flickering violently.

"Just as I suspected. This is a combination of a physical and spiritual sickness. Fortunately, it's not deadly. However, it will not pass until we take measures against it."

"How can we fight an illness like this?" Zuko asked.

"There is an incense that can be made from certain herbs that can calm the spirit as well as act as a general medicine. These herbs can grow anywhere. They can even grow in this frozen tundra, although finding some will not be easy."

"But first, bring her into the village so we can allow her some rest." Rodik said, turning.

TeaMeiya followed the old master with haste.

000

Twi ran with excitement toward the strange orb of whirling snow, and Su Li ran with growing apprehension after her sister.

"Twi, I don't think that this is a good idea!"

"We'll never know until we go through with it, now will we?" the excitable twin called back.

Twi stopped when she had reached the orb, which when close up, was as large as an above-average cottage.

"Nature is awesome! I've never seen snow do this before."

"We have no idea WHAT snow can do here. We've only seen it snow twice in the Fire Nation, and both times were over five years ago. And besides, this doesn't look natural. The snow orb is moving at about a walking pace and it's shaped in a perfect sphere. Does that seem like it could be caused by- Twi! Where are you going?"

"I'm going to see what's in the center of this thing! There's always cool stuff in the center of cool things!"

"I'm telling you, Twi, you don't want to do that!" Su Li called in vain as Twi ran into the moving sphere of snow.

After several seconds of following the moving sphere, Su LI was beginning to try to fight the urge to run in after Twi. She almost decided to go for it, when the orb suddenly stopped.

Just a moment later, Su Li heard Twi's scream from within the sphere, and her mind was made up. She ran, full-speed, into the orb, looking around.

"Twi! Twi, where'd you go? Twi! Tw-"

Su Li stopped short when an icy cold hand touched her shoulder. All of a sudden, all feeling disappeared from the shoulder that was grabbed. Su Li turned her head to one side and saw that her shoulder and arm, clothes and all, were turning to crystal. She turned her head to the other side and met the hollow eyes of a masked woman, which is the last thing she saw before the infective crystal smothered her face.

000

Ischi sat, shivering, on a large fur mat inside a spacious igloo. Khole's mother, Kandice, sat next to her, burning the tip of a plant in the fire that sat in the center of the igloo.

"These are the plants you need to find. I only have a minimal amount, but it's enough to get her through the night okay." Kandice said, blowing out the flame on the plant and placing the stick of wafting smoke next to Ischi's bed.

"Is there any specific place where these plants thrive here."

"Thrive is the wrong word. A better would be 'survive'." Rodik began. "These specific plants, the Cloudweed, were last found on the fringes of The Dome."

"The Dome?" Meiya asked.

"Only a few nights ago, before the Eternal New Moon, there was a massive globe of snow whirling around just over the horizon there. It covered over 60% of the island. No one knows exactly where it came from, but it recedes to the size of a large igloo every New Moon, which leads us to believe that it is not a natural occurrence. Every New Moon, some stupid adventurers go to try and find the source of The Dome, but they never come back, and there's no trace of them."

"What do we do if we see this Dome?" Khole asked.

"Don't go near it. Simple as that. Legend has it that The Dome attacks anything that comes close."

"Attacks? What do you mean?"

"Don't know. I've never seen it. I've only heard of it. In a nutshell, just don't go near it."

"Noted. Now, let's get going." Meiya said.

"Hold on one moment, young lady." Rodik said. "You're not traversing the tundra in those clothes. Change into these."

The old master threw Meiya a thick outfit and an even thicker jacket. The picky Avatar examined the unattractive clothes.

"Are these thermal undergarments?" she asked with a squint.

"Sure are. They're very comfortable." Khole said, hugging her own thermal outfit.

Kohi and Zuko were given their own thermal wear.

"Thank you, but I won't need this. I need to stay with Ischi." Zuko said, handing the clothes back.

"Aw, Zuko! We need you in this with us!" Kohi pleaded.

"Kohi's right. Your fire will be useful in the cold and dark." Meiya seconded.

"I'm sorry, guys, but I need to stay with Ischi. She needs me and I need her."

"Zuko…" said a weak voice behind him.

The Fire Prince turned and saw Ischi putting a hand on his shoulder.

"Go on ahead… I'll be fine… -cough, cough- I promise…"

"Are you certain?" Zuko asked, turning and taking Ischi's hand.

Ischi nodded with a smile. "Our friends need you. Go."

Zuko leaned down and kissed Ischi lightly on the cheek before standing.

"I don't mean to interrupt this cheesy vomit party, but do you mind, Zuko, Rodik? Kohi and I need to change."

"Sorry." the two men said. Rodik left first, and Zuko picked up his own clothes and followed.

000

Kaizu stepped off of the Fire Nation ship, onto the shore of New Zuko, two Firebender Elites on either side of him. He looked around the dock, sharing glances with the encumbered New Zuko citizens who were bringing and taking raw material, like metal, stone, and wood from the carrier ships and into the city. A few Shadowbenders were observing their progress from the steep hills on either end of the dock.

At the moment these two saw Kaizu, they turned and struck the gongs behind them.

"Everybody halt! Your Shadow Lord has arrived! Show some respect!" they roared.

All under the sound of the Shadowbenders' voices turned toward Kaizu and kneeled with their faces to the ground.

"At ease. You may resume your work." Kaizu said.

Once everyone was up and about again, Kaizu began to walk up the inclined road.

He turned at the sound of crashing metal.

One of the workers had collapsed under the weight of his load and was struggling to stand again.

"Come on! Get up! Hurry!" his partner pleaded, trying to help his fallen friend to his feet.

One of the Shadowbenders walked up to the collapsed man, shaking his head.

"Worthless weakling!" the man yelled, taking a leather whip from his belt and raising it in the air.

"Hold your weapon, soldier!" Kaizu yelled, running up to the Shadowbender and snatching the whip from his hand.

"W-Weapon?" the confused villain asked.

"You two take a break. I will instruct you later." Kaizu said.

The two men nodded graciously and ran into the city.

"Who authorized these?" Kaizu said roughly, holding the whip to the Shadowbender's face.

"General Da Kai, my lord."

Kaizu clutched the whip tightly, and after a moment, it was engulfed in black flames and was a pile of ash in seconds.

"Tell the others in your quadrant to turn in their whips to you, who will in turn give them to me when I come back. How many others in the city are abusing the citizens?"

"Honestly, my lord, that will greatly depend on your definition of 'abusing'."

"Answer the question! Are the citizens being physically abused?"

"Yes, my lord. General Da Kai has ordered that we assert our dominance over the citizens to assure that-"

"Where is Da Kai?"

"Most likely in the construction site for the palace."

Kaizu turned away from the man and began his walk toward the city again.

As he walked, a young woman walked up to him and tugged at his shirt sleeve.

"Please, milord, you must help me!"

One of Kaizu's guards pushed the thin woman away from Kaizu and to the ground.

"The Shadow Lord 'must' not do anything for the likes of you! And how dare you lay hands on your better, you stupid-"

"Hold your tongue or I will have you discharged!" Kaizu yelled ferociously at the guard. After he backed away, Kaizu helped the woman to her feet.

"What do you need?" he asked.

"M-My children and I… We're terribly hungry, and the taskmasters only serve us one bowl of cold rice and damp vegetables per day."

"Taskmasters?" Kaizu asked with a growing anger in his voice. "How hard do the guards make you and other women work?"

"T-They treat us the same as the men. If we aren't doing our job like they say we should, they hurt us badly. Look, I have scars all over my body."

The woman rolled up her sleeves and lifted her shirt, showing Kaizu the ugly red scars that riddled her skin.

"Do you mind?" Kaizu asked, looking at her arms.

"Not at all." the woman said, giving Kaizu permission to feel her skin.

"These are not just whip welts. I see deep bruises and burn scars." Kaizu said, clenching his teeth. "This is not how I want my subjects to be treated. Do not worry."

Kaizu lifted the woman's chin to make her look at him. "Nothing bad will happen to you or anyone else as long as I am Shadow Lord."

Tears ran down the woman's face, and she hugged Kaizu tightly.

"Thank you, my lord! Thank you so much!"

A moment afterwards, the woman pulled back and raised her hands to her face.

"I am not one to be feared, unless angered." Kaizu said with a smile. "So you, in particular, have absolutely nothing to fear from me."

The woman's face brightened as Kaizu began walking toward the construction site again.

When Kaizu reached the construction site, he raised one hand in the air, firing a plume of dark fire in the air.

"Everybody stop what you're doing! Tell me where Da Kai is!"

"Present and accounted for, my lord." said a muscular gentleman sitting on the fringes of the site.

"What is the meaning of whips and physical abuse of MY subjects?" Kaizu seethed.

"We are simply asserting our dominance over those below us, as the Sovereign has instructed-"

Before Da Kai could finish, Kaizu gave him a solid fist to the jaw.

"Kumori isn't here right now, is she? She has given me rule over the Fire Nation until the future runs its course, so until that time, you don't answer to Kumori. You answer to me!"

"I-I apologize, sir…"

"I know you are. You are hereby relieved of your position as potentate over New Zuko. It appears that I will have to take this city into my own hands until I must depart again. You will travel back to the Shadow Clan's base as my replacement general."

"Yes, my lord." Da Kai said, bowing before beginning his walk down to the dock.

"And when you get to the dock, you'll find two men on break. Tell them to begin unloading the supplies on my ship. They're just a few crates with food and medicine."

Kaizu watched him until he fell out of sight, then turned and began to instruct the citizens who had become idle from watching the little event.

**(A/N: And that's all for today, folks! I felt that Kaizu need to be expounded on a little more, especially considering he's one of my, and many viewers', favorite character.**

**Speaking of expounding, I have been told by imawordbender and TeamAvatar (who has a story for Urban Rivals, my favorite PC game!) that the previous chapter, 'The Sovereign's Last Stand', was not one of my strongest. Looking back on it, I completely agree with them. I didn't like the chapter very much, so in honor of TA and Wordbender's amazing amount of input to my story, at the end of the Waterbending arc, I will revisit that chapter, tear it apart, and rebuild it again in two EXTENDED SPECIAL CHAPPIES!**

**Speaking of favorite character, the poll on my profile is still open! I only have two voters so far, so please visit my profile and take a simple fifteen seconds to vote on who your favorite character is.**

**One thing I neglected to mention is that if your fave character fall under the category of 'Other', PM me who the character is so there's no confusion!**

**Now, for my chapterly off-kilter dream. A couple of nights ago, I dreamed that I was a guy. Weird, right? Not yet. I also dreamed that I was in the Code LYOKO world, which IS weird considering that I haven't thought about that show in years.**

**Anyway, I dreamed that I was running in Sector Five from a couple of Krabs with Ulrich and Yumi, and if you haven't seen the show, I'm certain that you caught none of what I just said.**

**We were suddenly trapped in a square room, and then things went World of Warcraft/ Star Wars. Swords swinging, red lasers flashing, and me sitting in a corner, wondering when this will be over.**

**After everything was dead, a door opened and I ran through it, hoping that it was the doorway out of my dream. Of course it wasn't. It turned out to be a door into, like, a female school gymnasium shower. Everyone in the shower started screaming, which I didn't understand until I remembered that I was a dude!**

**After fainting from embarrassment, I woke up on the floor, in the real world, in a cold sweat with my laptop on my chest.**

**And that's my off-kilter dream of the chapter. I know, it seems impossibly hard to believe, but I swear on Meiya's life that everything you just read was entirely true.**

**The weirdest thing probably is that I remembered all of that.**

**Leave your opinion in your review. The next chapter will be here soon. Until then, this is SH10, signing out! ;-))**


	22. Separation Anxiety

The unforgiving winter air of the Southern Mountains mercilessly stung the faces of the intrepid TeaMeiya as they hiked over the rough terrain. It seemed to bother Meiya and Kohi more than it did Zuko or Khole.

"Ugh. How hard should it be to find a stupid weed?" Meiya grumbled.

"Yeah, we've been walking for hours…" Kohi seconded.

"Not everything we do is going to be easy." Zuko said. "If it was, the Shadowbenders wouldn't have defeated us on New Moon."

"And I'd have all three Beast Pacification titles." Khole seconded. "Speaking of which, after we're done here, can we stop at Omashu?"

"No time." Meiya chattered, her teeth vibrating from the cold. "Even though we can't see them, the Shadowbenders are winning the war. I need to learn the other three elements as quickly as possible. We won't even have to go all the way to Omashu. Ischi can teach me Earthbending as soon as we reach the mainland."

"True enough," Khole sighed. "I guess I'll resume my training another time."

"Back to the matter at hand: where the heck is this Cloudweed?"

Zuko had trudged ahead and had reached a flatter part of the mountain. Looking around, he could see the vast white ocean of eternal snow that covered the massive island, but nowhere that looked warm enough to support any kind of plant life.

"This IS kind of frustrating. Is anyone else getting tired?"

"I'm exhausted." Kohi said, sitting on the ground. Before anyone else could sit down, they froze at the sound of low, surreal growling.

"Uh oh." Khole whispered, slowly turning her head.

Stalking just a few yards behind were a couple of giant wolves, covered in plumy, white fur.

"Polar Bear-Wolves… Nobody make any sudden moves. They're attracted to the smell of meat."

"But we don't have any meat with us." Kohi whispered back.

"Kohi, WE'RE the meat they smell."

"Oooh…"

"Can't you tame them, Khole?" Meiya asked.

"These aren't sea beasts. I don't know how to pacify them. The best thing to do is just- ACHOO!"

Khole's violent sneeze was just violent enough to excite the wolves, who pounced.

Meiya thrust her hands forward, throwing a shaft of wind into the two wild animals, knocking them back to the ground.

The word didn't have to be spoken. The same word ran through everyone's minds: Run!

The feeling of tangible death pounding at your heels did an excellent job at motivating tired legs. Even Kohi was running at full speed away from the giant beasts.

The energy never left TeaMeiya until they reached an impasse: the edge of a snowy cliff.

The three girls of the group backed away, but Zuko, feeling obligated, stood his ground, throwing his flames at the bear-wolves.

"Back! Get back!"

The rabid animals began to back off at the sight of fire, and after a few more seconds of persuasion, they ran away.

"Whew! What a close one!" Kohi breathed out.

Before anyone else could move or say anything, the cliff began to collapse without warning.

Kohi and Khole, who were standing on the brink, dropped like stones into the freezing mist below.

Meiya was standing a little further up, but she was threatening to fall, too. The shock of what was happening caused Meiya to release her staff. As she teetered on the brink, Zuko turned and rushed for her. The moment Meiya had fallen, Zuko lunged forward, grabbing Meiya's hand before it fell out of reach.

"Zuko! Don't let go!" Meiya screamed.

"Why would I let go?" Zuko screamed back, trying to pull Meiya back up. The sound of the loose snow creaking and cracking gave Zuko the strength to heave Meiya over the brink and pull her away from the cliff, before the rest of it collapsed.

"Kohi! Khole!" Meiya called as she crawled back to the edge and looked down at the misted chasm below them. Not surprisingly, no answer came back.

"How are we going to find them, Zuko?"

"I-I… I don't know. Maybe they're find their way out. Khole knows this place."

"Khole has a broken leg! And that fall is not going to make it any better! We have to find them and get them back to the tribe."

"But what about the-"

"We'll find the weeds later, our friends are in danger!" Meiya said, beginning to run along the edge of the deep crevasse, trying to find a safe route inside.

000

Kohi was stirred awake by the sound of immensely pained groaning. A jolt of adrenaline made her sit straight up and look around, despite the excruciating soreness.

"Kohi… Kohi, I'm over here…" groaned Khole's voice.

Kohi looked over and saw Khole sitting on the snow, clutching her leg.

"My leg took the full brunt of the fall… The pain in unbearable..."

"What do I do? I don't know how to handle this situation!"

"Calm down, calm down… How strong are you?"

"Not strong enough to carry you, if that's what you were thinking."

"Not carry. I just need to use you as a crutch, if that's okay with you."

"Sure. I'll help you up."

After Kohi was able to get Khole back on her feet, they both began to take in their surroundings.

"Umm… Where are we?" Khole asked.

"You don't know?"

"I've never been down in these crevasses before. Okay, let's see…"

Khole took off one of her gloves and licked her finger raising it in the air and judging the wind direction.

"The village is that way." Khole established, pointing in the direction that the wind was blowing. "The winds at the South Pole always blow to the north."

"Um, alright then?"

"Yeah, let's go."

Khole and Kohi were about to begin their trudge through the chasm, but a soft thud startled them.

Kohi turned and saw Meiya's staff laying in the snow.

"Ooh! Meiya would probably want this back!" Kohi said, running to get it.

"Wait, wait! Don't drop me!" Khole pleaded in vain. She tumbled to the ground with a face full of snow.

000

By the time the cold of the tundra had become unbearable, Meiya and Zuko had scanned the entire length of the crevasse, finding neither the weeds nor a way in, and more tragically, a way out.

"Meiya, it's no use looking anymore right now. If we're going to survive, we have to set up camp now."

Meiya opened her mouth to protest, but silenced herself after a warning glare from Zuko.

"I don't want to do this, but there's no way we can set up on these mountains. The air is too thin up here and the temperature is too low. We'll have to go down to the flats."

"That's where the Dome is supposed to be. We were told specifically not to go into the Dome's territory."

"Would you rather freeze to death up here or take the slight chance that whatever Dome is down there will find us?"

Meiya didn't have to think about that choice. She turned and began her downward trek to the icy flats, with Zuko in pursuit.

000

Traversing said flats in silence was the Dome, sluggishly sliding across the ground. Within the sphere of whirling snow, the faceless, white-haired woman slowly dragged the crystallized carcasses of Twi and Su Li up a slight incline, toward the mouth of a large cave. As she approached the cave, the snow began to slow down, and by the time she had entered, the Dome had left her completely.

"Still…so lonely…" the woman whispered to herself as she looked at the frozen statues that she dragged with considerable strength, despite her obvious elderly state.

Looking forward again, the masked woman trudged on into the pitch-blackness of her cave.

000

"Uh…"

All Kohi could do was groan in confusion as she stared at three different paths into three different cave complexes.

"I can't tell which one is the way to go through. The wind doesn't blow south around here."

"I can make the wind blow south! Just give me a second." Kohi said, stepping up to one of the holes.

"That's great! Pull the wind south into each of these tunnels as hard as you can. Whichever one brings back wind is the one that has an exit!"

"How do we know that they don't all have exits?"

"Even if they do all have exits, the village is straight north from here. The one that pulls back to us strongest from the north will be the one that leads closest to the village."

"Good idea! You ready?" Kohi said raising her hands to the tunnels. She clenched her fist and began to pull backwards violently, as if tugging on a rope.

Khole licked her finger and raised it to the first tunnel.

A few seconds passed, and Khole lowered her finger again.

"No draft. Either this cave exits southbound, or it's a maze." Khole determined. She raised the same finger to the next cavern.

"This one has a nice breeze, but I can't tell for sure until I check the last one."

Raising the finger to the final cavern, Khole made one last observation.

"This one has a breeze, but it's not as strong as the one in the center. It's our best bet, so let's go for it, after we get some sleep."

"Shouldn't we just get it out of the way now?"

"What good will that do? We'll be more well-rested and ready for anything that comes at us if we get some sleep first." Khole said, hobbling to a nearby snowy hill and laying down to rest. Kohi shrugged and followed suit.

000

Reigo walked briskly into the night air, staring down at the scrap piles over the horizon. She only glanced at the carnage for a second, however, before turning away from it and swirling a pool of shadow on the ground in front of her.

"This is so much harder without Kaizu…" the white-haired mistress murmured, using what appeared to be a lot of strength in order to lift that pool of shadow into the air.

With one heavy push, Reigo caused the shadow to vibrate violently one time. A moment later, a circular rift began to appear within the shadow, and another moment later, Kumori's face had appeared.

"What do you need?" the Shadow Sovereign asked, clearly irritated with something.

"I need to talk to you about Kaizu."

"What must you know about your brother?"

"Have you noticed anything odd about his behavior as of late?"

"Not from my eyes. Have you noticed anything?"

"I received a report on him from General Da Kai, his replacement until D-Day. It's out of the norm. According to Da Kai, Kaizu is disregarding your mandate."

Kumori arched an eyebrow. "How so?"

"He is not exercising authority over the people of the past. Instead, he appears to be showing compassion towards them. Have you any explanation? Did you give him any contrary orders?"

Kumori stayed silent for several seconds, before finally saying, "Do not worry about Kaizu for right now. As with every aspect of the future, all will be revealed in time. Is there anything else you must tell me?"

"No, ma'am. That is all."

"Excellent. Contact me again when the Devourer responds with his collection mission complete. Until then, stand by, unless the renegade decides to expose her location, accident or otherwise. If that be the case, destroy her at whatever cost. We cannot afford for her to alter the future and relinquish us all of our existence."

"As you wish." Reigo said, waving her hand and causing the trans-temporal portal to vanish.

With a suspicious frown, Reigo began her descent back into the campground.

000

Meiya and Zuko used what few supplies that they had left and set up a small camp on the flatlands, facing away from the mountains. Zuko had managed to get a fire going, and Meiya sat in cold, sad silence, staring at the flame.

"I can't sleep." she said, drooping her eyes.

"I miss Khole and Kohi, too, but we won't do them any good with worrying."

"That's only half of it. Every time I close my eyes, I see frightening images. Ever since that episode on Whale Tail Island, it's been happening more and more."

"What kind of frightening images?"

"They vary, but more frequently, I've been seeing pictures of me losing you all. And now those visions are coming true before my very eyes."

"No they're not." Zuko said, grabbing Meiya's shoulders. "We're going to find them, I promise you."

Meiya stared up at Zuko, her eyes watering.

"Don't think about the negative. They're alive. I'm sure of it, and sooner or later, they will be found. Now let's get some sleep."

Meiya nodded and laid down in the sleeping bags that Zuko was previously hauling, trying hard not to look at the two that were still rolled up.

000

Kaizu knocked at the door he stood before, waiting patiently.

The woman who Kaizu had talked to earlier opened the door, gasping at her Shadow Lord's presence.

"Oh! He-hello, milord. I was not expecting t-to see you here."

"I apologize for intruding, but I have nowhere to stay, and you were the first one to come to mind."

"Mommy, who's at the door?" asked a child's voice. Kaizu's eyes darkened a little when he saw a couple of kids standing behind the woman.

"Children… I had all but forgotten." Kaizu murmured under his breath, connecting the dots in his head.

"Sung, go and play."

The child nodded to his mother, giving one last curious stare at Kaizu before running off.

"Please come in."

At the invitation, Kaizu entered, but only within the door. He did not go any further.

"I assume your husband is working somewhere? If so, when will he be returning?" he asked.

"I'm widowed. My husband was killed in the siege."

"I see." Kaizu said, hiding his frustration behind a mask of stillness. "Perhaps this was not a good idea. I think I'll be-"

"No, please don't go! I mean- You can stay. It's fine. My name is Miye."

"You may call me Kaizu."

"I may?" Miyu asked, surprised by how casual her better was allowing her to be. "Well, thank you…Kaizu."

"Are you enjoying the houses provided to you and the other workers?" Kaizu asked.

"Very much so." Miye said. "Take a seat, milord. Make yourself comfortable. We've just finished dinner, but I do have some leftovers, if you want them."

"Yes, please."

Miye set a plate of cut meat and vegetables in front of Kaizu.

"Time for bed, kids." Miye said, shuffling her children to their adjacent rooms.

"Is there a guest room where I may stay?" Kaizu asked.

"I'm sorry, but my home doesn't have a guest room. You may stay in my room, if you wish."

"That is your decision. I would not wish to intrude if it made you uncomfortable."

"It's perfectly fine, I promise."

"Okay, then. I shall join you in a moment."

Miye turned back and entered her bedroom, hiding her blush from Kaizu's eyes.

Minutes later, Kaizu entered Miye's bedroom, finding her still awake.

"Are you alright?" the Shadow Lord asked.

"Why me?" Miye asked.

"I don't understand." Kaizu said, laying down.

"You had an entire city's worth of people to request for help, and every single one of them would have taken you in. Why did you decide to come to me?"

"If you don't mind me saying, when I first saw you pleading for my help, I didn't think much of you, but as I looked under the rough skin and sad eyes, I saw a woman that got me curious."

"You're curious of me?"

"Very much so, but I think that curious may be the wrong word."

"Are you looking for 'attracted'?" Miye said with a smile.

"I think I am. However, I believed that I was hindered because of my deep ties within your sorrow for the loss of your husband."

"You didn't kill him directly, did you?"

"No, I didn't. I would never intentionally murder another human being."

Kaizu omitted 'unless ordered' to prevent causing Miye unease.

"Then I have no problem with you." Miye giggled. "I miss him very much, but he wouldn't want me to sit alone all day, grieving over him…when there's someone else to help fill the void."

As Kaizu turned to look at Miye curiously, he was taken completely by surprise when Miye leaned in and kissed him.

When Miye pulled away, she gasped at how affected Kaizu was.

"I am so sorry! That was completely spontaneous, random, and inappropriate! I just wanted to see if I felt anything!"

"Did you?" Kaizu asked after thinking.

"I did. I really did… Okay, I think that's enough surprises for the night. I'm going to sleep. Goodnight, Kaizu."

"Goodnight." Kaizu said, laying down.

Minutes later, after Miye had far since gone asleep, Kaizu still laid awake with wide-unblinking eyes, thinking intensely…

**(A/N: There's the next chapter! I think that I'll let Kaizu and Miye feature at the end of every chapter! It's a very nice ender. ^^**

**No off-kilter dream this week. I don't want to drag this A/N one on for too long because it's 4:30 in the morning, so…**

**Seeya next chapter! Until then, this is SH10, signing out!)**


	23. K Is For:

**(A/N: Rolling into the next chapter! Let's see what's going on in the lives of our divided heroes!)**

Hiding a face of unknown emotion behind the icy mask she wore, the mysterious woman and source of the Dome felt the snow outside of her cave, detecting a foreign presence nearby, on the fringes of the mountains.

Without a word, the woman began to walk, and as she did, snow began to almost automatically swirl around her, and after a few seconds, she was completely engulfed in the swirling Dome of snow. A few moments later, the woman broke into a monstrous sprint toward the source of the disturbance.

Though unseen by all, behind the long-haired woman's threateningly twisted mask was an equally twisted smile.

000

Miye unconsciously turned onto her side in her sleep, waking herself up in the process. Once her vision cleared up and came back to her, she stared with surprise at the empty other side of the bed. There wasn't a trace of Kaizu left to be found, and no matter how hard she looked, there wasn't a single note of explanation.

She looked eagerly in the living room, hoping that the lack of a note meant that he had not left, but the entire house was empty, save for the sound of her two snoring children.

'I scared him off… I went too fast. Didn't even give us time to develop what could've been…' Miye thought with a crushed heart.

Meanwhile, Kaizu sat with a brooding expression on the roof of the house nearest the palace construction site.

"My liege, what seems to be troubling you? You have not spoken a word since yesterday." said a Shadowbender commander that walked up to the building.

"Leave me be. What goes on with my time has nothing to do with you."

"It is not me that is worried. The citizens are concerned, milord. Seeing their gracious ruler overcome with…something, is having a negative effect on their morale."

"Tell the citizens not to worry about their 'gracious ruler'. I am fine. Recently, I made a mistake, which my mind cannot seem to get over. However, that will not affect my outward actions toward the people of New Zuko. Return to your post."

The Shadowbender frowned as he bowed, then turned and returned to where he had come.

000

Meiya, having shifted uncomfortably in her sleeping bag, woke up feeling sore and uncomfortable. Zuko had already woken up and was staring at the dying fire.

"I'm glad you're awake. Are you ready to go?"

"Give me a moment… My head is throbbing." Meiya said, rubbing her temples.

"Hurry and compose yourself. The more time we spend here, the less of a chance Kohi and Khole have."

"Don't you think I know that?" Meiya retorted loudly and angrily. "Don't you think that I want to find them as quickly as I can? But I'm not going to be any help to anybody in my current condition, so just GIVE ME A MOMENT!"

Meiya's hairrow and tattoos glowed bright red one time. Meiya shrieked and grabbed her head, crouching low toward the ground.

"Calm down, calm down! Your Dark half is surfacing!" Zuko said.

Meiya raised her head, panting. She was about to speak again, but a sudden chill caught her attention.

"Something's coming. The wind has changed." Meiya pointed out.

She and Zuko stood and looked around, ready for anything that could come their way.

Meiya was the first to see it: a dome of whirling snow barreling toward them at an almost impossible speed.

There wasn't even time to run. In less than a moment, Zuko and Meiya had been swallowed by the Dome.

Meiya and Zuko looked frantically around, trying to find a way to retaliate.

Thinking quickly, Zuko surrounded him and Meiya in a ring of embers. As he spun on his heel, his eyes widened when he saw a third person, a masked woman, leaping back from the flames.

"Meiya, get back!" Zuko said, jumping away as the strange assailant lunged again.

"Who is that?" Meiya asked, backing away with Zuko.

"The Dome… It's a person… This explains a lot." Zuko said, filling the blanks in his mind. "Who are you, and what do you want?"

The woman said nothing as she continued to follow Zuko and Meiya at the same pace.

Behind the mask, the woman was studying both of her targets, but Meiya's appearance caught her attention. Why would an Airbender travel all the way out here unless-

"Avatar…" she whispered, before lunging at Meiya.

Meiya had no time to react. Once the woman who was attacking her touched her body, her skin and clothes began to turn blue and crystallize.

"Zuko, help!"

With a sharp, intense exhale, Zuko fired a large bullet of flame at the masked woman, forcing her to release Meiya.

Almost a quarter of Meiya's body had been frozen solid, to such a point that her motor function was severely limited.

With hollow, unreadable eyes behind the wooden mask, the woman turned to face Prince Zuko, who readied himself to fight.

Surprisingly, the woman, raised a finger to Meiya, launching a thin beam of crystal from her finger and flash-freezing Meiya's body into a sculpture before she had time to scream.

Zuko's breath caught in his throat from the shock of what he had just seen. Shock quickly gave way to rage, but reason caught up to that rage before he could do something stupid. Blindly leaping at someone that potent would do all harm and no good, so Zuko fired another cloud of flames at the Dome's source before lunging for Meiya's frozen body and carrying her with all of his strength and all of his speed opposite the direction that the other woman was facing,

Zuko's heart froze solid when he felt a hand wrap around his shoulder, stopping him cold. (**A/N: Please excuse my horrible puns… I can't help myself! ^^)**

"Please don't leave…" whispered the sharp voice of the masked woman, who had caught up to him.

Zuko's numbing body had forced him to let go of Meiya, and mere moments later, he was in the same predicament. Both of them lay frozen on the snow.

The woman stared at her new prizes for a moment.

"So many friends…" she said, lifting them and beginning to drag them away. "But…still so lonely…"

000

Without Zuko to provide a fire for guidance, Kohi and Khole had to feel around the dark, wet cave with relative disgust in order to navigate, and more often than not, they ended up slamming into walls and tripping over unknown furry objects that scampered into their path.

"This is horrible! We're moving slower than a slug with you as my crutch, and all this tripping over stuff is not helping my condition!" Khole yelled.

"Well, what am I supposed to do? Make my butt glow like a firefly? Or maybe I can pull a 'Meiya' and make my eyes glow to instantly learn Firebending! I can't produce a- Ooh! A light source!" Kohi squealed, throwing her attention somewhere else.

A small wisp of light shone nearby, illuminating what little path was left for the two to traverse.

Kohi stared in wonder at the shining crystal that hung in the stone rafters of the low-rising caverns. What was even more impressive were the amazingly life-like sculptures that stood around the perimeter, but perhaps the most amazing thing about the large insertion that they had entered was the trifecta of circular-shaped pools of strangely glowing water that sat in the center of the room.

"Khole, look at these sculptures! They're so life-like! They all have expressions of fear, though. It's creepy and cool at the same time!"

Kohi was staring with glee at a particular two, who looked very similar to each other.

"I wonder why whoever sculpted these made them look so much alike?"

"I guess they must be twins." Khole guessed. "…Wait a second… This one looks familiar."

Khole directed her concern to a nearby sculpture, a man with the same twisted expression of fear.

"What?"

"This guy looks familiar. It looks like someone I knew back at the Village…who disappeared investigating the Dome on a New Moon. Kohi, you don't think-"

"That these are actually the frozen bodies of people who tried to find the Dome?"

"I was going to say that the sculptor knew this person, too, but you raise a creepily valid point, as well. I think we should get out of here."

"Leaving so soon?"

"Waah!" Kohi screamed, tripping backwards at the sound of the new voice, in turn, causing Khole to trip and fall as well.

Both girls stared up in fear at the masked woman who stood over them.

"You can't leave now." the woman said, lifting her hand. One of the things she was carrying behind her began to levitate, and floated itself over to one of the many empty stands in the room. At the lift of the other hand, the second ice sculpture did the same thing. Kohi gaped in horror at the two new additions.

"M-Meiya… Z-Z-Zuko…"

"You can't leave; you mustn't. You must stay here and be my friends."

"We can't stay here! We have to leave with OUR friends, so if you could be so kind as to unfreeze them?"

The woman cocked her head to one side, as if confused.

"But if I unfreeze them, they won't be my friends anymore. They'll run away, and even if they didn't, they'll just pass away, like the rest of my friends who were once alive. Don't you see? This is the only way I can keep my friends…forever."

"Why would you need them forever if you're not going to live forever?" Khole asked, slowly inching her way toward the back tunnel.

"I can only tell you if you're my friend… Do you want to be my friend?"

The woman reached out a hand to Khole, but before she could touch her, a burst of wind struck her, knocking her to the ground.

"Run!" Kohi yelled, grabbing Khole's hand and lifting her into the air, running her out of the cave.

Before the y could exit, an explosion of pain and cold tore into Kohi's back, sending her flying forward, dropping Khole and rolling across the ground.

The masked woman walked to the mouth of the cave, staring blankly at her two adversaries.

"I didn't want to have to force you to be my friends, like the rest of them, but it seems that I will never have a choice."

The woman slapped her palm on the ground, sending a slithering river of crystal in Khole's direction.

"Khole, look out!" Kohi screamed, but Khole instead turned in Kohi's direction at the sound of her voice, not seeing her fate coming.

Once the crystal touched Khole's skin, it froze her solid. Kohi could only stare in horror and amazement.

"Do you want to be my friend?" the woman called to Kohi. Not waiting for an answer, she ran forward at a speed that not even a strong young person could match.

Kohi jumped out of the way of the incoming hand, and used Meiya's staff to strike her opponent on the back, sending her lunging forward.

As her opponent attempted to compose herself, Kohi brought forth the glider wings and took to the sky.

On the ground, the woman launched large balls of ice and crystal up at Kohi in an attempt to knock her out of the sky. Kohi dodged and weaved out of the way of the first two projectiles, but the third seemed undodgable from her position, so she took the glider from her back, snapped it back into a staff, and swung at the ball of ice, smashing it to pieces.

Kohi smiled with glee at her rolling success, but the smile flipped when she saw another ball of ice coming directly behind the one she just destroyed.

The ice missile smashed into Kohi sending her tumbling to the ground. The staff flew elsewhere.

"Now, join my collection of friends…" was the ominous saying as the woman slapped the ground again, sending another sheet of crystal Kohi's way.

Kohi scrambled out of the snow as quickly as possible, leaping backwards as the crystal river advanced.

One lucky leap landed Kohi on top of the staff, keeping her off the ground and out of harm's way.

Once the crystal river stopped, Kohi stomped once on the staff, loosening it from its fixed position in the icy crystal sheet, and with a spectacular punch into the ground, Kohi send fissures of wind crackling through the ice, striking her opponent and sending her flying backwards.

With an unseen expression of anger, she rose to her feet, flexing her fingers and causing ice shards to rise from the snow, and like a sideways rainstorm, sent the cloud of ice shards careening toward Kohi.

The brunette Airbender twirled her friend's staff in front of her like a propeller shield, shattering the ice shards upon contact. However, one shard managed to slip past the rotating slats of the staff, aiming to gore Kohi right in the eye.

Kohi noticed the rogue shard just in time and strafed, chipping a part of her ear against the shard instead.

It was enough of an opening for Kohi's opponent to fire one last ball of ice at her, which exploded against her stomach, sending Kohi sprawling across the snow.

"New friend…" the woman said, smiling behind her mask as she reached to touch Kohi and turn her into crystal with Khole.

The moment before she could touch her, Kohi's eyes snapped open, she grabbed the woman's wrist, and pulled her into an epically wind-strengthened punch that not only shattered the woman's mask, but sent her spiraling farther than any other of her attacks could.

Kohi breathed in and out heavily. She slowly stood up and walked toward the woman, who appeared unconscious.

The moment Kohi saw her face, she gasped and fell backwards.

"Y-You're… You're… YOU'RE… Who are you?"

"Oh my goodness! What a punch! I haven't taken a hit like that in centuries!" the woman said, having woken up. She sat straight up, scratching the back of her head.

"Centuries? Wha- Who are you?"

"Oh, thank you, young lady, for knocking me out of that awful stupor! I am most grateful!" the now-jolly old woman said, shaking Kohi's hand.

"Wh- Who are you?"

"Now, I assume you'd like to defrost your friends. Very well, come with me."

"Who ARE you?" Kohi repeated for the fourth time, following the woman.

As she walked, the woman touched Khole's shoulder, reeling the crystal back into her hand and freeing Khole from her prison.

"Huh?" she asked, turning to where Kohi was standing when she called her the moment that her body was frozen. "What happened? Why'd you call me?"

"Oh, now you hurry along, too, young'un! Don't want to miss the fun!"

"Who is she?" Khole asked as Kohi passed.

"That's what I keep asking! Hey! Who ARE you?"

Without an answer, the old woman walked into the cave, with Kohi and Khole following intently.

The woman stopped at the three pools in the center of the cave insertion.

"Mm… The bane of my existence…" she said, barely over a whisper.

"Huh? What do you mean? Who are you?" Kohi asked.

The still-unknown woman raised both hands for a couple of seconds, then swiftly dropped them to her side. Simultaneously, all of the crystal sculptures in the room turned back to human form.

As expected, most of them looked around oddly and confusedly. One man turned to the woman and with a look of both rage and realization, pointed at her.

"You! You're the sickening monster that trapped us here! The one who controls the Dome! Why, I have a right mind to-"

As the man looked closer at the woman he was rebuking, his face turned chalk-white, which was impressive for someone with caramel skin. Many of the others in the room, even Meiya and Zuko, began to recognize the woman as well, and almost as one, everyone bowed to her.

"Huh? What is going on? Who the heck are you?" Kohi yelled.

"Sifu, we are not worthy to be graced by your presence."

"Why, sure you are! Everyone is worthy; I'm not a god." the woman said with a matter-of-fact tone.

"But, Sifu, you are the closest thing to one on this earth. You are Sifu Katara; the greatest Waterbender to ever live and who ever will live."

"K-K-Katara?" Kohi whispered with a dropped jaw. Once she heard Katara's name, Khole dropped to her face, as well.

"You may rise. I'm nothing special. I'm just a crazy old hag who freezes people to make friends!" Katara said with a chortle. "Go on and get; Tell the Village about me if you will. And if Rodik is still alive back there, tell him that I still liked him, even if Korra didn't."

With uncertainty and amazement in their eyes and faces, the cave began to clear.

"Except for you five. I have a feeling you're here for more than I assume."

Zuko stood, but out of the corner of his eye, he saw two familiar-looking girls walking behind the group of Waterbenders.

"T-Twi? Su L- Hey, you two!"

Neither of them heard Zuko as they turned in the opposite direction that the Waterbenders walked.

Meiya, Kohi, and Khole ran toward each other and hugged each other tightly, all trying to talk at once about what they've been through. Once they were done, they instinctively turned back to Katara, who looked as if she had something to say.

"Now, what is it that you need? Ask me anything at all!"

Zuko spoke up first.

"This place is surprisingly humid for being in such a cold environment. There doesn't happen to be any Cloud-"

Before Zuko could finish, Katara walked to one corner of the room and pulled out a couple of dark green plants, throwing them into Zuko's arms.

"I keep some around for the occasional cold or chronic chill." Katara explained.

"I'd like to know something." Khole asked.

"Shoot."

"How are you…still…alive?"

"Oh ho ho! Now, THAT'S the question I've been waiting for! Gather 'round, gather 'round, and I'll tell you all about what I've been doing for the past five hundred years.

The reunited TeaMeiya sat down in front of Katara, like a group of excited schoolchildren eagerly awaiting a fun lesson from their old, wise, teacher.

"Now, it all started after the Century War ended, and Aang and I became official…"

**A/N: And the winner of Guess That Tsunade is… TEAMAVATAR, who made the lucky decision of Katara after a game of Eenie Meenie Minnie Moe. Congrats, friend!**

**The secret of the riddle was Tsunade's appearance. She's old enough to be a grandma, yet she looks at least twenty. Katara is old enough to be EVE, but she looks about forty-five with Yue-hair.**

**Now, don't think this arc is even HALF- over yet. After the Southern Water Tribe, TeaMeiya will be taking a trip up to the NORTHERN Water Tribe again, and since that'll be a long and boring trip, the filler chapter requests are back on! Send in your requests! I'll be happy to take them!**

**Sorry that I'm taking so long, but it's Exam Week at my school and I'm wedged between typing and studying, but I have great news. My school classes requires a 94.5 GPA in order to be exempt from a Quarterly Exam, and I was exempt from EVERY class except for one, whose exam I ACED! That means that out of all seven of my classes, I had A+'s in all but one! And with that powerful grade in Comp. Tech (B+), coupled with the powerful exam grade, I'm certain that I got at least an A-, which means that for the first time in my life, I'm on the highest Honor Roll in my school, Chancellor's Honor Roll!**

**That's the good news. Now for the bad. A few months back, I accidentally spilled water on the laptop, which fried it for a couple of days. It eventually turned back on, and I was psyched, but now, the long-term damage is catching up with me. It can't read disks anymore, the audio is clicking, and it overheats much faster that it did before. That's the other part of the reason why it's taking longer for me to update.**

**One more thing: my brother has his own FictionPress account now. He hasn't posted any stories yet, but I'll tell you when he does. Look for Cori Scott on FictionPress; coming soon.**

**But don't fear! My bro got his own laptop (It's tiny!), and pretty soon, I'm getting one, too! I'll give you the deets as soon as they become available, but until then, this is SH10, signing out! Ya'll come back now, ya hear?**


	24. Katara's Memoirs: I Was There

**(A/N: Welcome to another little experiment of mine! This is not straying from the story at all, but I just thought I'd give you a heads-up. These next couple of chapters, Katara's Memoirs, will be the first ever first-person perspective chapters (mostly), with Katara as the narrator. Now, I've never done first-person before, so be honest about how it reads if you review. This is actually a good way for me to practice, because when I move to 9th**** Grade English Honors on Monday, we're going to be working mainly on first-person prose.**

**Now, let's sit back and take a look five hundred long years into the past, about fifteen years after the Century War ended.)**

I stood out on the cliff face that crawled out away from the back porch of the small manor that we lived in, Aang and I. I did not know why I had decided to look out at the ocean at that particular point in time, either that or I had forgotten, but one thing was for certain, it felt right for me.

Behind me, Tenzin was on the back porch, watching me. I knew he was there, because as much as he tried to be sneaky, he was a very heavy-footed child, an ironic attribute, considering his ability. I let him look on with curiosity, another thing that I do not know the reason of, or had forgotten.

Now I remember… I was lost in thought, too busy with my own conscience to focus on anything or anyone else. I was thinking about all that had happened, from the moment Aang and I sealed our relationship with that kiss…

The first one to permanently leave the Gaang was Zuko. After finding his mother dead in the Mountains of Exile, where all banished from the Fire Nation are eventually killed off by the roaming barbarians that haunt it, Zuko fully committed to his job as Fire Lord, separating himself from Aang and the rest of us.

Toph was next. She left, saying that since the War ended, nothing ever happened and she got bored, but I later discovered that she had found a boyfriend in Ba Sing Se, who turned out to be the Earth King's nephew. As it turned out, the nephew was the next heir to the throne, since the Earth King himself was close to death, with no children to follow in his footsteps. He had asked Toph to marry him, and after a lot of thinking, she accepted.

I should have been mad at her for fabricated such a cold story in order to leave, but I couldn't stay mad. She had found her perfect life, and I was extremely happy for her.

That just left me, Sokka, and of course, Aang. Sokka decided to travel back to the Southern Water Tribe with the rest of the Village's men, but he took Suki with her. He offered to bring us along, too, but we politely refused. Aang and I had already set roots here in Ba Sing Se, and it just wouldn't have felt right to leave right then.

So it was just me, Aang, and later along the line, Tenzin. We lived a conventional life on that little house on the cliff… Because everything had fallen into balance, Aang retired from his Avatar duties until the world needed him again, and it did. Urgently.

000

I was there when it happened, at the Boiling Rock Correctional Facility with Zuko, visiting the one person who was not enjoying the era of peace that the world had risen into. This was only hours before I traveled home and began my thinking trance.

We walked with an air of stalwartness into the polished steel hallway. When we entered, we saw four guards standing on either side of the door we came through, and at the end of the hallway, four more guards stood in front of a door with eight seals; one on each corner and three forming a triangle around one more huge seal.

"Don't move. I'll open it." Zuko said as the guards prepared to move into the unlocking position.

Zuko pressed both thumbs into his palms and raised the other eight fingers, curling them.

Violet flames suddenly shot from his fingertips, whipping around as if they were alive.

Zuko shot his hands forward, and the eight snakes of fire shot into the seals. After about two seconds, the seals released steam and began to twist. Once the door was completely unlocked, the guards opened it slowly.

A huge, rolling cloud of cold air fell out of the room, easily dispelled with a wave of my hands. We were entering the largest freezer in the entire Boiling Rock, built specifically to house this extremely dangerous individual. For the safety of any visitors, three giant steel cage doors were put up, preventing them from going any further.

Behind those three gates sat a very frail-looking person. The encumbering binds made it hard for anyone who didn't already know who it was to discern if it was a male or a female, but Zuko and I knew beforehand that she was female.

The prisoner was put in a new method of binding criminals, christened the 'straightjacket'. It was an extremely tight leather shirt that, once the prisoner was forced into it, was crossed at the arms and the armholes stitched to the sides of the shirt to prevent the prisoner from performing any form of motion from the waist up. However, this prisoner not only wore the straightjacket, but bronze chains were wrapped around her body as well, locked with an iron seal and anchored to the earth by a giant steel ball behind her.

Her legs were bound with steel cuffs and her feet were wrapped in gauze that was soaking in ice water.

By far the most inhumane thing done to this woman was the placing of the iron mask-helmet on her head. It was so massive and heavy that the woman had to hunch forward. Two crude eyeholes were pierced into the iron hull, and a maniacal, saber-toothed smile was painted where her real mouth should have been. Sticking out of the helmet were long pegs that went through the helmet and pressed against her head, but these poles were also held to the helmet by extremely taut chains that hung on the ceiling, preventing any form of motion from any part of her body, besides her lips and eyes.

"It's been a while since I've had visitors." said the woman. Her voice, distorted by the echo of her helmet, did not sound human at all. "To what does the fallen Princess Azula owe the great honor of being graced by the presence of two of the world's most powerful forces?"

She lifted her head slightly, staring at Zuko and I. Years of darkness had diluted her eyes greatly.

"You know exactly why we're here, Azula." Zuko said blandly.

"I know I do, but I want to hear you say it."

"We're here… to deliver you to your execution."

Azula made a raspy chuckle. "Why not just kill me here and end it now?"

"Because it is not my place to take your life. The people want you dead, not I."

"And what about you, Waterbender? Why have you tagged along?"

"Precautions. To make sure you don't try anything funny." Zuko answered for Katara, who

Yet another ominously raspy chuckled echoed from the helmet.

"I have been waiting for the day I would be free ever since that fateful evening."

"Well, Azula, you're finally going to get your wish. Soon you will be free of this world, and cast into the next." Zuko said, breaking the locks on the three gates, one by one, in order to reach Azula, placing a hand in her shoulder to lift her up."

"Don't touch me just yet, Zuzu." Azula said. "I need to inform you of something. Do you know the eight guards outside my cell, who were guarding me day and night?"

"What about them?"

And then, in less than a second, it happened. Azula jerked her head back, forcing the loosened pegs out of her helmet. Then, she relaxed her shoulders, causing the rigged chains to jangle to the ground. She pulled the sleeves of her straightjacket apart to reveal that the stitches were gone, and separated her legs, causing the broken cuffs to shatter, the seal to unlock, and the chain she was bound by to separate from the giant metal ball behind her.

In less than a second, Azula had freed herself.

"How lucky was I that one of the guards you hired was a former Dai Li agent that was still loyal to me? All of these stupid binds you put me in were destroyed years ago, but I kept them on, waiting for my moment of revenge!"

"Katara, get the door." Zuko said to me, with a voice of more calm than I had expected, but nonetheless, I acted swiftly, turning on my heel and raising a sheet of ice in front of the exit.

"Though I must say, it is impressive that you were able to free yourself, you haven't even won half of the battle. You still have me, Katara, and seven other loyal Fire Nation personnel to get by, as well as a whole island full of soldiers ready to take you down. A victorious battle is meaningless if you don't win the war."

"I thought as much. You underestimate my thinking, brother. I've always had friends in high places on this island that will make sure I can leave safely. As we speak, the splinter cell I just told you about has probably downed his 'comrades' outside."

"Lord Zuko, we've secured the mole! Is everything alright in there?" asked one guard who poked his head into the room.

"Well, there's a pleasant surprise. However, it changes nothing. I have all the momentum in the world on my side right now! I'm an unstoppable force!"

"So educate me, sister. What happens when an unstoppable force meets TWO immovable objects?"

Once again, Azula made her raspy, ominous laugh behind the mask, which she had not taken off yet.

"Immovable? Oh, Zuko… You seem to have forgotten how truly frightening I can become. Allow me to refresh your memory."

Intense electricity began to sizzle the air, causing it to sting us, but Azula seemed to revel in the powerful energy.

This energy buildup caused the entire room to shake, as a low grunt began to rise in Azula's throat, which rose into a tremendous shout as the energy around her turned from blue to black.

"My solitary confinement… My isolation from all humanity…" Azula started, her mask cracking as she spoke.

In all honesty, I was scared out of my mind. There was no way that Azula was this powerful years ago, when she and Zuko clashed under Sozin's Comet.

"The terror of being alone… The anger of being dethroned… The grief of failure… All of these negative emotions shaped what you see now. Feelings are much more powerful than you think. The festering darkness that has grown inside of me has put me in a league of my own! Prepare yourself, brother, for your own personal APOCALYPSE!"

When she screamed her final promise to Zuko, I saw her mask split in half. Azula had aged noticeably, her hair graying on either side. Her teeth were twisted and mangled, and her eyes were cold, hard, and diluted.

Almost simultaneously, Zuko and Azula ran for each other, locking horns and trading blows. Azula's negative energy had caused her fire and lightning to turn black, but other than aestheticism, the negativity had also increased her power almost tenfold.

Suddenly, I felt as if I was back in the New Zuko royal courtyard fifteen years ago, watching this battle from the sidelines, frozen in fear, feeling obligated to assist, but not knowing how.

Looking back at me, Zuko noticed it, too.

"Katara, freeze her!" Zuko commanded, snapping me out of my funk.

Using some of the ice from the sealed door, I tried to surround Azula in a bubble to flash-freeze her, but no sooner that the bubble was complete, a burst of energy exploded from Azula's body, evaporating my water prison.

"Do not interfere. I'll deal with you next." Azula said, which sent an ice shard of fear into my heart. Just her words were enough to freeze me in place, something that even I found it difficult to do right now.

Zuko screamed another command at me as I stood to the side and watched in horror, but it was not the command that I was expecting to hear:

"Katara, run! Get out of here, FAST! I have to do this alone, as I did before!"

With the order given and the explanation presented, I did not question him; I just ran, without stopping. I forget how far I had run, or for how long. That doesn't matter anymore. All I remember is just running, to get away from…to get away from what I knew was to become my destiny later on.

000

So here I stand, on the cliff overlooking my house, playing the events of the last few hours that I had just witnessed through my head for the umpthteenth time. The sun had far since set, and Tenzin had long since gotten bored and went back inside. Even the waves underneath me began to recede, as if preparing for sleep.

"She got away." said a familiar voice behind me.

I turned with a gasp to see Aang and Zuko standing there. Zuko had a look of disappointment, but reading his expression further, I established that it was more like self-loathing. Aang's expressions were never difficult to read. What he wore on his face was pure depression.

"Is there any way we can find her?" I asked, knowing the answer that Aang would give.

"Of course we'll find her. We won't rest until we do. We've already contacted Toph, Sokka, and Suki, and they've all agreed to help us find Azula and take her down, once and for all."

"We can't rest for a moment. We must begin looking as soon as possible." Zuko added.

"But, what of Tenzin?"

"The young Airbender may stay in New Zuko until this fiasco has ended." the Fire Lord answered.

I was there when it happened. I was there…and I couldn't do a thing to help…

**(A/N: And that's my first first-person perspective chapter! Sorry it's so short, but I want to save all of the super-exciting, butt-kicking action for the next chapter.**

**Tell me what you think of my first-person! Was it good? Was it not? Should I stick to third-person? Should I do first-person perspective more often? Leave your opinion and be brutal! I promise you won't hurt my feelings! ^^'**

**My brother posted his first FictionPress story, WBHS, in the Manga section, and I know he'd appreciate a review or two (he's forcing me to advertise this)! So when you get a chance, drop by FP and look him up! His pen name is Cori Scott.**

**And that's enough out of me! I'll see you guys next time! Until then, this is SH10, signing out!)**


	25. Katara's Memoirs: Black Terror

**(A/N: As I promised, here's the second of three chapters (and my LONGEST chapter yet!) of Katara's Memoirs, entitled, Black Terror. **

**Forgive me if I seem a little bland in these A/N's. School is really coming down on me. After a week of virtually no homework, the sudden flow of assignments is really bumming me out and killing my creativity. : ( **

**But enough about my life! Let's jump back into Katara's!**

**WAIT! One more thing! After looking over the first chapter of KM, I have found that doing action scenes in first-person, especially long ones, like the one in this chapter, is next to impossible… In addition, I was told by TA and Wordbender that 3****rd**** person is more preferable. So, as Wordbender typoed in her review, I'm 'stinking' to what I do best. -Snicker- With that in mind, the last two parts of Katara's Memoirs will be in third-person, for the sake of exposition.**

**NOW, let's jump back into Katara's life!)**

It was months later when the action started, andKatara was not alone this time when she heard the first strike land.

Tenzin and Aang departed for New Zuko, while the Fire Lord searched far and wide for his maniacal sibling.

Katara, however, didn't have to look far.

Floating over the city of Ba Sing Se on jets of fire shooting from her feet, Azula looked at the ant-like inhabitants below. Some had already noticed her flying form and was staring up in confusion, while others were completely oblivious to what was about to happen.

With an evil smile, Azula raised one finger, charging a minuscule orb of black electricity onto it.

"Bang." Azula whispered, pointing at one part of the city. The small orb flew down to where Azula pointed, a populated area, with a school and several small neighborhoods. As soon as the orb touched the ground, it exploded and expanded into a giant orb, which completely engulfed the entire residential area.

Azula laughed with glee as screams of terror began to rise from the rest of the city.

On the other side of the city, Katara ran outside, feeling the intense rumblings of the explosion.

"I'm glad I called you guys when I did. I had a hunch she'd find her way here."

As she said this, Sokka and Toph exited the house as well.

Sokka looked much more mature, with two swords at either waist, a pack of weapons on his back, and a full-grown beard, as well as muscles that are more pronounced.

Toph had gotten significantly taller. Her eyes were the same pale blue, but they looked sharper and with more feeling. She wore a royal robe, but immediately stripped that off in place of her fighting garbs, the same clothes she wore the entire time she knew the Gaang, but altered so that it would fit her, as well as being outfitted with special weights to improve her strength wherever she went.

"Finally, some action!" Toph sighed, cracking her knuckles.

"With all the nonstop training we've been putting in, as well as Aang teaching us how to release our chakras and increase our powers, there's no way we can lose!" Sokka added.

"Don't get cocky, guys. This isn't the same Azula we knew and loved fifteen years ago."

"Even so, we're so juiced up right now that we could take the whole world on and leave without a scratch! Now, let's demonstrate that to HER!" Toph said, sprinting ahead. She slid the earth up underneath her in huge piles in order to push her legs further and run faster.

Sokka ran off after Toph, but Katara stayed behind for a moment, closing her eyes and using her natural chi connections with Aang and Zuko to try to contact them telepathically. She established that the closest ally was Zuko, so that who she tried first.

'Zuko… If you can hear this… Azula is attacking… Ba Sing Se… Come as soon… as you can…'

Once her message went through, Katara tried the same technique with Aang, but she couldn't get through somehow.

'What's going on? Why can't I reach Aang's spirit?' she thought frustratedly.

000

The palace of New Zuko was grave and silent since hearing of Azula's escape, but perhaps the most silent place in the palace, perhaps the world, was the sound-tight meditation chamber, where Aang sat with his eyes wide open and his tattoos glowing brightly. He was in the spirit world, and his mind and body were closed to all outward disturbances, including telepathy.

His mind was so focused on one thing, so concentrated on one singular goal, that time was slowed to a crawl, so slow that one minute in the real world was equivalent to a century in Aang's little pocket of the spirit world.

In said pocket, Aang was training vigorously, preparing himself for the mortal combat he was about to ultimately endure against Azula. He planned to train for a couple of hours in real world time, which was over one millennia in his sluggish time patch.

So far, his training had carried on for ten minutes, almost a thousand years, and Spirit World Aang was past exhaustion. He had sparred with a mental image of himself for so long, that his muscles had gone numb and didn't feel a thing.

What made it worse was that this clone's power grew as his did, so he had to constantly push himself harder, almost every moment, he had to push himself far past his limit, then push again, and again, and again…

000

Zuko, on the other hand, had picked up Katara's message and was now speeding across the globe on fire jet boots toward the Earth Kingdom capital, and to the showdown of his life.

000

Azula had thrown two more expanding dark bombs at two more parts of the city, laughing loudly as the terrified people ran away in terror.

Her laughing stopped when she heard whistling in her ear. She turned toward the sound and saw a large boulder storm heading right for her.

With a flick of her hand, Azula turned the first boulder into dust, and then fired a blast of fire that was so concentrated, it appeared as a laser.

The other flying boulders disintegrated when they met the blast of black fire.

Azula flew down to the ground to meet her three opponents.

"Well, isn't this a pleasant surprise. Three of my friends have come to play. And by the feel of your energies, I'd say that you've come prepared."

"Prepared to finally take you out. This time, Zuko's not here to spare your life." Toph yelled.

"Yes, I'm SO scared that Zuko's not here. You're confident that you can defeat me on your own?"

"More than confident. Our power is stronger than ever before! There's no way you can stop all three of us!" Sokka declared.

"Is that so? Then it seems that you three have also forgotten how terrifying I am. Has it really been that long?"

"It's been long enough." Katara said. "I sense that you already have all seven of your chakra gates unlocked, and by myself, I am still above your level of energy."

Before Katara even finished, Azula was cackling wildly.

"Now I've heard everything! You're completely ignorant to my true strength. Well, allow my to teach you something before you die. The seven chakra 'gates' as you call them, are not only meant to get chi energy flowing, but to keep negative energy back."

"We knew that. Negative energy is weakness. What's your point?" Toph asked, spitting on the ground.

"Well, being trapped in a freezer, kept barely alive by leftover scraps of food for fifteen years, it's very hard to be positive, and I didn't think it was worth trying, so I just let my negative energy run rampant, and what's the result?

Azula pointed behind her, at a crowd of people that gathered to observe.

"Bang."

Azula fired a thin bolt of black electricity into the crowd, and before anyone knew what was going on, the entire area was engulfed in a huge explosion. When the smoke cleared, not a single person was left.

'Wh-What? That was instant! I didn't even see her fire! All those people…' Sokka thought, losing his nerve for an instant. He recovered himself, hoping that Azula didn't notice, but her chuckling told him that she did.

"You're beginning to realize how much trouble you're in now, yes? And I'm not even done. As opening chakra gates forces negative energy away, closing them causes the negative energy to come back. So I don't open my gates to increase my own power. I open them to keep it all back."

Now it was Katara's turn to breathe in sharply.

'She's holding her power back? I thought she was at her limit! I already have two gates open, and I'm just scratching the surface. She has virtually zero gates open, and she could prove to be a match for me.'

"Whatever!" Toph bellowed, the only one who didn't seem fazed by Azula's terrifying explanation of her power. "I have only one gate open right now, and I'm LEAGUES above your current power level! How strong could you possibly be?"

'Toph, no!' Katara yelled inwardly.

"I'm glad you asked. Allow me to give you a genuine demonstration by closing one of my chakra gates."

Azula closed her eyes, clenched her teeth, and tightened her fists.

"Muladhara!"

With that shout, a burst of black energy escaped Azula's pores, blanketing a surreal shadow on anything in the vicinity.

Katara and Sokka slid backwards from the force of Azula's new power, but Toph simply stood, her blank eyes widened in horror and amazement.

Eventually, the force was too much for Toph and she flew backwards as well, but Katara and Sokka stopped her from going too far.

"What has she become?" Katara whispered.

As the black energy blasted from Azula, she ran forward at a blinding speed, her fist cocked back.

Toph stomped on the ground, sending a huge pillar of stone shooting them into the air. Azula followed them into the air on jet of fire.

"We can't keep this battle in the city! There've been too many casualties already!" Sokka said.

"Agreed, let's jet!"

Toph pumped her arms forward, detaching a floating platform of stone from the pillar and flying toward the Great Wall as fast as possible.

Azula flew after them and quickly caught up, smashing the stone platform that they stood on.

"She's too fast! Hold on!" Toph said, reaching her hands far into the air. All over Ba Sing Se, flat stone platforms rose from the ground, appearing in front of them as a floating bridge to the Outer Wall.

"Run, she's catching up!" Sokka yelled.

Azula flew down to the bridge, then made a U-turn, flying back into the air.

"What's she doing?" Katara asked herself.

All of a sudden, several whistling missiles of fire beamed down from Azula's hand to the bridge.

Toph and the others were just barely past the Middle Wall before their bridge crumbled to pieces, so Toph had to convert to the Earth Jet again.

"Here comes the next wave; and it's bigger!" Sokka warned, staring hard at the swarm of black fire missiles that were roaring toward them.

"Swerve, swerve, SWERVE!"

"Hold on as best as you can!" Toph said, making her earth Jet swerve back and forth to avoid the exploding balls of fire.

"We're almost there!" Katara yelled "Toph, pick up speed!"

"One left!" Sokka pointed out, staring at one last ball of flying fire that threatened to destroy them where they were.

At the last moment, Toph turned and reared her Earth Jet platform forward, turning it into a shield that took the full brunt of the flaming black missile.

Now supportless, Katara, Sokka and Toph flew past the outer wall and landed on the cracked, beige earth.

Azula flew out to where they stood and landed lightly in front of them.

"So, what do you think?" she asked.

Toph snorted, hiding the fact that she was just as terrified as Katara and Sokka.

"You're still outnumbered, Azula! It's three against one!" Katara called, vainly hoping that it would slightly unnerve Azula, who just laughed.

"I know. I don't like your odds, either, but let's see just how far you can push me. Go ahead. I'll even give you one free shot."

Toph shoved her hand into the earth and pulled out a large blunt clod of dirt, spinning once on her heel and firing it straight at Azula at a breakneck speed.

The large projectile struck her head-on, but when the dust and dirt cleared, the only sign of damage was a smudge of debris on her cheek.

"Was that it? That almost tickled." Azula said, wiping the grime from her face.

Toph clenched her teeth in frustration and took a defensive stance for the imminent retaliation.

Azula pointed at them with one finger. Collectively, they all knew what was coming, so they each strafed out of the way to avoid the light speed death beam that emerged just a millisecond later.

"Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!" Azula repeated with glee, pointing at various spots and making the three fighters dance like spider monkeys in order to avoid the explosions that followed.

"All she has to do is point at something and it explodes! How are we going to compete with that?" Sokka questioned when Azula stopped momentarily.

"The only way we can: fight back! We can't just strafe, parry, and dodge all day, or we'll never beat her. No punch-pulling, guys! Let's beat her down!" Toph declared, shooting her hands forward and firing a barrage of sharp rocks at Azula.

The maniacal princess used her black fire to melt the rocks as they approached, and as she did, Sokka sprinted forward, swords drawn.

Azula broke off her stream of fire to deal with Sokka, being scratched and cut with stray rocks in the process.

She used her cuff gauntlets to deflect Sokka's sword swings, and parried his kicks with her own, but as she focused on him, Katara pulled a surprising amount of water from the ground, the giant pouch on her back, and the humid air, in order to form a blob of water, which lunged at Azula, engulfing her instantly.

Katara clasped her hands together, and the water blob flash-froze.

Azula didn't move for several seconds, leading Katara to believe that she was eternally suspended.

"Do you really think I'm that easy?" Azula said from within the ice bubble, dashing Katara's hopes as well as subliming the sphere of solid ice directly into invisible water vapor, landing on the ground with a shake of her head.

As soon as her feet touched the ground, Toph crushed and churned it into a liquid state under Azula's feet.

"It's all you, Kat!" Toph called after she had finished.

Katara nodded and raised the liquid earth over Azula's head, bringing the entire form back under the ground.

Toph clasped her hands together, turning the liquid earth back into a solid, then jumped into the air and punched down where Katara had submerged Azula, shattering the earth for meters.

Katara and Sokka were fired back from the force of the explosion.

"No sort of warning? At all? You could've killed us!" Sokka protested.

"Quit your bellyaching and get ready! She's not down yet!" Toph said, leaping back to where her two allies stood.

As Toph promised, Azula rose from the shattered earth, breathing outward and stretching.

"I was almost impressed. You actually managed to wound me a little bit. This may be more fun than I had thought."

Katara and Sokka prepared to rush in for another attack, but a surprising comment from Toph turned everyone's attention.

"What are you waiting for? Close your next gate."

Azula actually raised an eyebrow.

"Toph! What are you doing?" Katara asked with much shock.

"She's just toying with us now, and I'm sick of it! I'm tired of these games! Get serious and quit holding back!"

Azula lowered the eyebrow and chuckled. "You were never the one for playing around, were you? Fine, then. Seeing as you're so eager to die, I'd only be happy to oblige to the idea."

Azula clenched her fists and teeth again, black electricity crackling around her.

"Guys, power up to your fourth chakra! We've got to be two steps ahead!" Toph instructed, having already followed her own instruction.

Sokka and Katara nodded and breathed in and out, unlocking their chakras up to the fourth.

"Swadhistana!" Azula yelled as she closed her next chakra, the Water gate.

The outburst of raw energy was enough to upheave the earth, but Katara, Sokka, and Toph's newfound strength was enough to keep them in place.

Nevertheless, Azula's strength had almost tripled what it was before, a truly terrifying sight and feeling.

"What do you think now? Impressive, yes? Savor that sense of awe, because you won't be here for very much longer.

'Aang… Zuko… Where are you?' Katara thought frantically.

000

'What power…' Zuko thought as he raced on his jet boots to Ba Sing Se. 'And I'm nowhere near Ba Sing Se yet. If I can feel that much power coming from where I am, there must be more trouble than I had originally thought. I'd better hightail it!'

With that thought fresh in his mind, Zuko intensified the energy of the purple flames that shot from his heels, causing him to fly much faster than before.

After another minute, Zuko saw that he was beginning to speed over the Northern Water Tribe and stopped.

'If that much trouble is building at Ba Sing Se, I'm going to need to bring her with me, in case there are any injuries. This will only take a minute, guys. Hold on until I get there.'

Zuko made his detour down into the city of ice.

000

And in New Zuko, Aang continued to meditate, training both his mind and his body in the spirit world, getting stronger… faster… better…with each passing second…

000

"The time is now! Attack! Hit her with everything you've got, men!" yelled the leader of the Ba Sing Se Terra Team.

"Sir, yes sir!" the group of ten of the most powerful Earthbenders in the world chanted, leaping from their place on the wall down to near where Azula and her opponents were staring each other down.

Azula turned her head to glance lazily at the newcomers, who charged forward, launching a rain of heavy stones down on one point.

"Oh, what fools…" Azula said before the rain of earth fell on top of her.

Each of the ten men stood around the small mountain of rock, under which sat their greatest enemy, now helpless to their whim.

Simultaneously, the Terra Team pushed inward, causing the stone mountain to collapse in on itself heavily, which would crush whatever was inside into a one-dimensional figure.

"It's done." one of the men said.

"You mean, YOU'RE done, right?" asked Azula's voice, almost from out of nowhere.

Everyone looked around to try to find the source of the voice.

"Bang."

A large explosion of dust rising from the point where one of the Terra Team was standing immediately followed the chilling word. The cloud of dust surrounded the remaining nine members, as well as Katara, Sokka, and Toph.

Without an Airbender to clear the area, everyone stood blindly in the cloud of dust, unprepared for the series of events transpiring at that moment.

All of a sudden, a razor-edged disk of electricity whirled through the cloud faster than the eye could make out, cleanly severing the head of another member of the Terra Team.

Katara screamed in terror as she witnessed the unforeseen death, as well as having the knowledge of the controller of her fate floating somewhere out of reach, patiently rooting out her next victim, like Death himself.

It happened again when the disk came back, shooting straight through the chest of another member of the Terra Team, leaving only seven remaining.

"Katara, keep your cool! We've got to keep as silent as possible, so we can hear the disc coming!"

As Sokka yelled this, the electric disc passed by again, this time making a sharp turn after cleaving another Terra Team member, slicing apart yet another. Katara and Sokka had to duck to avoid meeting the same fate, because the disc flew right to them.

"Toph! Can you clear this dust? It IS technically earth!" Katara pleaded.

"There's more air that earth here! This is out of my jurisdiction! However, I can raise us out of it! Everyone come in close!"

Katara, Sokka, and the remaining members of the Terra Team gathered around Toph, who shot her fists into the sky, causing a platform of earth to rise out of the ground and float over the dust cloud.

"Hello, again." said Azula's voice.

Before anyone had time to look for the voice or even to gasp, a powerful kick sent Toph flying off the platform, and without Toph as an anchor, the platform began to fall back into the duct cloud.

As she flew, Toph clenched the air and pulled back, causing the platform to suddenly fly with her, landing outside the dust cloud.

"H-How? How did you escape that earth trap?" Sokka asked, standing.

"You seemed so confident before, yes? And all it took was one little motion at full speed to unnerve you? This battle will be easier than I thought." Azula laughed.

Her intimidating chuckle was cut short by a lightning-fast fist crashing into her face, sending her rocketing into the Great Wall.

"If speed is what you're banking on…" Toph said, cracking her knuckles. "then you're in for the fight of your life."

Azula unstuck herself from the cracking wall, touching the glowing red mark on her cheek.

"Hm… He he he… Now I'm getting interested. I'm not going to lie to you, that actually hurt, but all that means is that it's time to stop holding back and show you my true colors. It's time for me to close the third gate."

Azula set up to release another powerful surge of black energy. The air around Toph and the others was so intense that it began to sting them.

"Manipura!"

As Azula closed her Fire chakra, the earth upheaved again, and the vibrations of the energy pouring into the ground were strong enough to be felt on the other side of Ba Sing Se.

"Now then, where were we?" Azula asked, her voice deeper.

As quick as a flash, Azula fired a blast of black fire at Toph, but before she could dodge, a ball of violet fire canceled it out, sending a huge, surreal cloud of poisonous purple wafting into the air.

Sokka and Katara gasped, while Toph simply snorted: "It's about time…"

Zuko slowly dulled his jet boots causing his to descend to the earth, in front of Toph, Sokka, Katara, and the five remaining members of the Terra Team.

"Sorry I'm late." the Fire Lord said, putting down the person who was on his back. "I had to pick someone up."

Katara looked closer at the newcomer and gasped.

"Haku!"

"Who?" Toph asked, not taking her sightless eyes off of Azula.

"Haku was an apprentice healer when I met her in the Northern Water Tribe while Aang was learning Waterbending."

"But what's the difference between Haku's healing powers and yours, Katara?"

"Haku was one of the Benders whom Aang taught to Energybend, like you, Sokka. She heals with that Energybending power, and can even give you a nice power boost.

"That's right, and I've gotten much better since he taught me. Have you been keeping up with your training, Katara?"

Katara opened her mouth, but Toph made an intruding cough.

"Sorry to interrupt the reunion, but there's a fight going on."

"No, no. Continue. It seems as if you lot are getting tired. Why don't you have your new allies lick your wounds for you, and tell me when you're ready to continue?"

"I don't need to heal! I can take you on right now!" Toph screamed indignantly.

"Don't get rash, Toph. We're losing ground. Let's take what we can get." Sokka suggested.

"Fine! In that case, heal me first!" Toph yelled to Haku, who gasped in surprise at the sudden outburst.

"Heal me so that I can finish Azula off! Sorry, Zuko, but it looks like you came for a show, not action. Once I get to full strength, I'll use my new unweighted speed to smash her to pieces before she even gets a chance to close her fourth gate!"

"Um… Okay, if you say so." Haku said, placing two fingers above Toph's chest and two on her forehead, sending waves of healing power into her body.

Once Haku was finished, Toph flexed her muscles, feeling the places that used to be scared or bleeding. Toph was fully healed.

"Not only am I healed… I feel much stronger than before…" Toph said, smiling at Azula. "Now I'm ready to fight! Are you ready to go down?"

"Alright, I'm up for it. Let's see what's you're really made of."

In a fraction of a second, Toph and Azula met each other, sending punches and kicks that were faster than anyone could see.

After a light-speed sparring round, Azula and Toph suddenly vanished.

"Where'd they go?" Katara asked.

"They must be moving so fast that we can't see them. Try to feel out their energies."

Sokka and Haku were already turning their heads rapidly in almost every direction, and soon, even Zuko began to shift his eyes rapidly.

'Ugh. I'm the only one who can't see them…' Katara thought, trying to detect Toph's energy.

'There!'

For a moment, Katara could just barely see an entangled mass of green and black energy, which quickly sped off to the north. Now Katara was able to keep up with them.

Toph and Azula locked horns evenly, until Toph caught one of Azula's incoming punches, throwing one of her own that sent her skidding back into view of the naked eye.

Toph didn't give Azula even a second to recover; she pounced at her again in a nanosecond, and the two vanished from view again.

The bout of appearing after a heavy hit then vanishing again traded hands for the next few minutes, then both Azula and Toph jumped back, panting.

"How are you moving so fast? Your Seismic Sense shouldn't be able to pick up movement from the air, and half of this battle has been off the ground." Azula asked as the two-man war raged on.

"I've gotten better at seeing without eyes. I don't just see with Seismic Sense anymore. Now I can see everything vividly with an Energybending tactic that Aang taught me, called, Spatial Sense. It seem that's you're ignorant to OUR powers as well."

Azula broke off from Toph's strikes and leaped high into the air.

"Well, what sense are you going to use to beat this?" she asked, firing a huge beam of concentrated black fire directly at Toph.

"I don't NEED my senses to deflect that!" Toph retaliated, tensing her muscles as tightly as she could and reeling back.

Once the beam came in close, Toph lunged into the air, backhanding the beam and sending it back in Azula's direction.

Not expecting that kind of result, Azula had no time to move and was engulfed in a huge, oily back explosion

The back of Toph's hand was smoldering, but the adrenaline took every bit of pain away.

"What'd I tell ya? Piece of cake! Now please fix up my hand so we can get back to the city and celebrate!"

The young teenage healer ran up to Toph and touched her hand, sending concise waves specifically to that area. Once Toph's hand was healed, the group breathed out a sigh and began their trip back to the Impenetrable City.

Toph stopped short, her breath catching in her throat. She looked back up at the wafting cloud of pitch black, her eyes alive with an expression of pure horror.

As the smoke dissipated, Azula's form began to emerge, it's arms raised in defense. The explosion had disintegrated her sleeves, and even scorched her arms slightly.

Azula lowered her hands, showing a genuine expression of surprise.

"I must admit… I was not expecting such a powerful onslaught. You people are just full of surprises."

"That's impossible… There's no way that she can be alive after that." Toph murmured.

Azula dulled her boot jets and descended down to the ground.

Not a single person besides Azula wasn't frozen solid in fear.

"What happened to that fantastic speed you were so proud of?" Azula asked Toph. "It looks like you fell below your objective. You didn't manage to kill me before the closing of the fourth gate."

Before Toph could understand the meaning behind Azula's words, she made it very clear by posing for the next chakra closing.

"Anahata!"

With a powerful scream, Azula's power skyrocketed again, to such an extent that even Toph found it hard to stay in place, even as everyone else was thrown like rag dolls toward the city wall.

"Now, what do you say we try this again?" Azula asked, her voice becoming surreally gruff.

Toph lifted the legs of her pants, releasing the large weights attached to her calves and ankles.

In a couple of swift motions, every weight was removed, and Toph breathed in, as if she had a difficult time keeping herself on the ground.

"Fine, then! Let's finish this!"

Toph and Azula flew at each other again, but this time, the result of the bout was more than instant. Toph flew backwards to the ground, giving Azula the opening she needed to smash Toph in the stomach before grabbing her shirt and disappearing again.

A second later, Azula and Toph reappeared again. Toph was running away with an expression of shock.

"How is that possible? I'm almost completely unweighted! My new speed should far outclass anyone!"

"I have finally broken you, yes? That sense of pure hopelessness has finally settled in. Now, let's see if I can add a little fear and horror to the mix. Bang!"

Azula poked the air where Toph was standing, sending a needle-like blast of fire into Toph's leg, causing her to yell in pain and drop to one knee.

Now sure that Toph couldn't move, Azula sent more needle blasts into Toph's body, causing her to fall into spasmodic fits, eventually leading to one needle shot hitting her square in the chest, which led to her falling backwards, clinging to life.

All the while, Azula was laughing maniacally at her pain and screams of mercy and terror.

The laughing was cut short, however, when Zuko fired a flame-charged punch into Azula's stomach, sending her shooting into the air.

The last five members of the Terra team lined up beside the Fire Lord.

"Zuko, let us help! We can take her down all together!" Sokka suggested.

"That won't be necessary. Even with her new speed and power, I'm certain that six fighters that are as powerful as all of us is plenty." Zuko said, referring to himself and the Terra Team. "Get Toph back to the city, where it's safe. Heal her up, then stay put. This was my fight in the beginning, and it's still my fight now. I will be the one to finally silence Azula!"

Zuko clenched his fist, opening all of his chakras up to the fourth. Katara and Sokka gasped. Zuko's level of power was now a little above par with Azula herself.

In a powerful violet flash, Zuko followed Azula into the air. The Terra Team rose stone platforms and flew up with Zuko.

Katara and Zuko ran over to Toph's twitching body, lifting her up as carefully as possible.

Haku used her healing powers to help Toph as best as she could while Sokka and Katara carted her toward the gate.

Katara looked to the sky, at the mixture of flying rocks and purple and black explosions bursting the air in different places. It was truly the picture of chaos.

'Chaos that only the Avatar can undo…' she thought ominously, turning back to the city wall and her current mission.

**(A/N: And there's the LONGEST chapter yet! Now, you can guess what the last chapter's going to be about, hm? If you guessed that it's the climactic final confrontation between Aang and Azula that will have an awesome ending that you'll never see coming, then you're absolutely correct! I'll also stop being such a tease and answer the all-important question: why is Katara so OLD?**

**I feel like something's wrong with this chapter, though, but I can't tell what it is… Oh, well. Maybe one of you guys will spot it and tell me in a review.**

**Speaking of reviews, leave a review on your way out! And don't forget to start suggesting filler fodder for my imagination to shape into awesome distraction chapters until TeaMeiya makes it to the Northern Water Tribe and back.**

**And while I'm at it, I just remembered the Weapons of Discord Comparison Challenge! Wordbender described the Devourer as Devastator, the awesome Constructicon amalgamation from Revenge of The Fallen that Skidz and Mudflap fought in Egypt, and was ultimately finished off by an experimental offshore rail gun to the nads. Needless to say, her guess was spot on!**

**However, there's still the S.S Chaos and the Judgment Scales to guess the basis of, but here's a couple of hints. The S.S Chaos is based not only on nonfiction, but an actual (and arguably, the most ironic) historic event. The Judgment Scales are based off of one of my favorite video games that brings to life the question asked for ages: Could Mario beat Link in a fight?**

**Well, the answer is yes, but that's not the point. The point is, the Judgment Scale is adopted from a climactic air battle scene in that game's storyline.**

**Those are your hints! Now, get guessing! I'm dying to see your answers, and even I can't wait until the next chapter! But until then, this is SH10, signing out! ;-P)**


	26. Katara's Memoirs: Sudden Death

**(A/N: Here's the next-to-last chapter of Katara's Memoirs, Sudden Death (heads up, it's a rough one, and another really LONG one! Hang tight! This one may break the previous chapter's record!). After focusing on the original Gaang for a while, getting my characters back in line is going to be difficult, especially considering the future filler chapters. And in the next main arc of the story, the Republic City arc, you all can expect to see a lot more Ischi. Also, we reintroduce a strongly disliked antagonist that could, and WILL, change everything about Ischi, Meiya, and Zuko's personal missions and personal conflicts as we all know it.**

**I forget who it was, but someone compared Kaizu to Fire Lord Zuko, which we will see, much later, is not a bad comparison.**

**Some observant readers may have picked up something in the previous chapter that even I didn't notice until I read over it a second time. Anybody familiar with Dragon Ball Z? I just noticed that the majority of the huge fight scene was loosely based off of the fight with Frieza on Planet Namek! It was most likely a subconscious thing, since before I started writing the fight scene, I had watched a DBZ Kai marathon. Well, I thought that I might as well milk this cow for all it's worth, so after seeing the later fight episodes with Frieza, this last arc of the fight will also be based on that, as well!**

**I got a couple of ideas for filler fodder from TA in a PM. She suggested we pan out to Kaizu and Miye and see if they can work out that sudden pothole that fell between them. She also asked an excellent question about TeaMeiya: Have any of the members ever been in a fight, like an old-school fist fight. The answer is yes, all of them except Kohi have had at least one fist-meet-face altercation, and I can't wait to expound on that during the fillers.**

**Don't be afraid to suggest your own filler ideas! Plenty of spots are still open!**

**Now, enough procrastinating! Onto the story!)**

Katara and Sokka set Toph's trembling body down on a barracks mat, just inside the Outer Wall. Haku sat over Toph, healing her as well as she could.

"This will take some time. Too much to spend here watching me. Go watch Zuko in case he needs assistance." Haku said without looking up from her work.

Katara nodded and walked out of the barracks building, using her water to float herself and Sokka up to the top of the Outer Wall, and observed the spectacular fireworks.

000

Zuko's staggering power, along with the combined efforts of himself and the five remaining members of the Terra Team, was slowly wearing Azula down. Her speed was being rivaled at every turn, and her endurance was being shot at by the barrage of heavy rocks and intense violet flames.

In an almost-last ditch attempt to injure Zuko, Azula charged at him at full speed, surrounding herself in a black fire armor of sorts.

"Please." Zuko said, throwing a knee into Azula's stomach, dissipated the armor. He raised the same leg and gave a jarring axe kick toward the ground.

"Now, for the finisher!" Zuko yelled, firing a large beam of purple fire at Azula, who tried to stop it in her hands. The energy still barreling into the beam began to collect into a giant lump, which was getting difficult for Azula to hold back.

Zuko lunged his hands forward once, sending a quick pulse of energy down the beam and into the lump of growing energy, smashing into Azula and pushing her back a little.

With an exhausting scream, Azula pushed the ball of purple fire back at Zuko, who stopped it with one hand, causing it to disappear in a puff of purple smoke.

With a tired groan, Azula floated the rest of the way down to the ground. Zuko flew down to face her, and the Terra Team surrounded her on any other side, forming an inescapable hexagon.

"You are much stronger than I had hoped, Zuzu. This is going to be very fun, indeed. I didn't want to have to do this, but you have forced my hand."

"You'll never get the chance to unlock your next gate! Terra Team, attack!"

The five members raised a rain of boulders and showered them at Azula, who quickly raised a small shield of black electricity which demolished each boulder that struck it.

"Damn it! She's going to unlock her next gate under there!"

After another second, the ground began to shake, and the shield of electricity began to pulsate dramatically.

'Oh, man!' Not again!' Katara thought, thinking of all of Azula's power-ups up to now. Every time she closed a gate, she not only grew more powerful, she physically grew. Her muscles became more engorged and her voice deepened an octave. Her appearance after unlocking the fourth gate was terrifying. Katara shuddered to think of her appearance after the fifth gate.

"Vishuddah, Ajna, Sahasara!" Azula screamed at the top of her lungs from within the bubble of electricity, which began to rumble and expand with an amazing amount of energy. Zuko and the Terra Team had to turn on their heels and run in order to avoid being suddenly engulfed by the titanic orb.

'Unreal! She's releasing ALL of her remaining gates!' Zuko thought frantically.

The ball of energy could be clearly visible from the other side of Ba Sing Se, and as close as Katara was to the action, the orb was a monstrous sight.

Just as the enormous sphere was about to touch the Outer Wall, it stopped and receded quicker than it expanded.

Zuko squinted at the human form that remained. His eyebrows furled in confusion.

'What?' Katara was thinking. 'Am I missing something? Did Azula's power just… drop off? I can barely detect her power, it's so small.'

Zuko began to walk forward, looking closer at the girl before him.

Azula had shrunken to the size of a teenager. Every ounce of muscle she once had was almost completely nonexistent. If Zuko didn't know better, she could say that the Azula that stood before him now was the Azula who he defeated fifteen years ago, during Sozin's Comet.

Even her voice had lightened. It could still pass as a legal adult's voice, but it was a dramatic change to the intimidating, deep voice that boomed at them just moments ago.

"Surprised? I know what you're thinking, but this is no mistake. The form you see now is the result of closing the final chakra gate. Though, physically, this is not the most frightening form in the world, but right now, I am by far the fastest thing in existence. I doubt that even all six of you trying to strike me at once would come close."

Zuko clenched his teeth.

"And don't think it's over yet. Though I may look frail and scrawny in this form, all of the power my chakra gates present is stored in my stomach, which I can access at any time. Let me demonstrate."

Azula clasped her hands together, exhaling her breath. Nothing dramatic and exciting happened, but inside, Zuko lost his breath.

'T-That… This power… The power of all seven chakras… It's amazing! It's impossible to believe that she's holding all of this power back!'

"Impressed? Don't be. That was barely a smidgen of my full power. Roughly 1% to be honest."

If Zuko had lost any more composure, he would've fainted.

'…1%… All that power was 1%… That's it. We can shut this down right now… Not even Aang at full strength has the power to match something that's one hundred times the amount of energy she just showed me.'

Katara was beginning to hyperventilate. She was listening to the conversation by reading the vibrations of their sound waves against the invisible water droplets in the humid air.

'This is like something straight out of my worst nightmares… We can't win at this point if she's telling the truth… Wait a second… That's it!'

"All you have to do is bow down at my feet and I'll spare your life, no questions asked. Or… you could die a slow painful death trying to fight against, quoting a dear friend of mine, 'an unstoppable force'."

Zuko was about to concede and throw away his pride and honor as Fire Lord by getting to one knee and dropping his head before Azula, but a chi message from Katara stopped him.

'She's lying, Zuko! She has to be! There's no way anybody can be that powerful and be fighting at 1% of full strength! Don't give in to her bluff. She's baiting you into losing a battle that you CAN win, that you WILL win! Zuko, until Aang arrives, you have to keep fighting!'

With that message of encouragement, Zuko stood and glared at Azula, whose smile disappeared.

"I'll take my chances. It's too early for me to give up, and I'm not giving up without a fight! Altogether, men! Let's finally finish her right here and right now!"

All five of the Terra Team, as well as Zuko, clenched their teeth tight and their fists tighter, opening all of their remaining gates and showing their true full power.

And in one invisible motion, all six of them jumped at Azula and threw punches and kicks that were even faster.

"Sokka, we've got to go help them!" Katara said.

"Agreed. Let's fly."

Katara jumped up and clawed the air beneath her, building a slide of ice that she and Sokka rode down to the battlefield.

Not a single punch or kick landed on Azula yet, and it didn't look like she was giving much effort. Though to every other eye, their motions were faster than light, to Azula, they might as well be punching in slow-motion.

Azula looked up once as she effortlessly dodged the onslaught, leaping back as Katara came crashing down.

"She's in the air! Sokka, get her!"

Sokka quickly opened his remaining three gates and gathered his energy in his hands, throwing two thick beams of pure blue energy at Azula.

The point where Azula stood, and everywhere within a several-yard radius, went up in a flash of blue smoke.

"Did you hit her?" Katara asked frantically.

"Of course he didn't." said Azula's voice.

Katara, Sokka, and Zuko turned around in time to see Azula pointing two fingers straight at Sokka.

Azula forced a little of her power to rise up from her stomach, into her, arm, and out her fingers, firing off a ball of super-condensed black lightning.

Sokka was frozen in fear as the small orb of death zipped toward him at a blinding speed.

A moment before impact, a small section of land under Sokka suddenly shot up, pushing him away and out of the orb's path.

The orb flew a little ways more before exploding in a spectacular whirlwind of black electricity, rising into a mushroom-shaped cloud.

Katara and Sokka turned their heads to the direction of the city and gasped when they saw Haku and Toph, fully healed, floating down on a floating earth platform.

Azula smiled at her. "I thought I left you shivering and screaming for mercy a few minutes ago."

"I thought you were an engorged, inhuman monster a few minutes ago, but I guess a lot has changed, hasn't it?"

"A lot HAS changed. I have unlocked my final gate."

"Did the recoil hit you so hard that it shot you down to the chi level of a toddler?"

"Funny and clever, but no. All of my power is being stored in my stomach. I have more power than you could ever imagine, along with having a speed that could rival sound."

"That speed will come in handy. It'll be helpful when you're running away screaming after I unlock MY seventh chakra. You all may want to step back. FAR back. This is about to get real."

Azula chuckled her surreal chuckle again.

"Alright, then. I'll give you the benefit of the doubt and assume that you COULD match my full power with your own, which, of course, is an impossibility, but if you could, let's see it. Show me your full power."

"Toph, don't do this. You can't beat her alone." Katara pleaded.

"I know that…" Toph whispered, low enough so that Azula didn't hear. "At this point… Aang is the only one who has a chance, a SLIGHT chance… But I can hold her off long enough for Aang to get here and finish the job. This may be my last fight… But I'd do anything to save my home, my people, and dying to achieve that goal is perfectly fine with me."

"At least let us help you…"

"I can't do that. If it was anybody other than me, she'd kill you without hesitation. Azula knows she can toy with my mind and my emotions, so she'll drag the battle out until it stops being fun for her. Katara… One more thing…"

"Anything."

"Promise me that if I open my seventh chakra… and the sheer power causes me to lose my mind… Promise me that you'll kill me before I do something that I'd regret if I WERE sane."

Katara's voice caught in her throat, but slowly, she croaked, "I-I promise."

"Good. Now sit back and relax; you're in for a show."

Katara backed up a ways away.

Toph and Azula stared each other down for a long moment, before Azula shot her hand up at Toph, who froze like a deer-mole in the presence of fire.

"Bang!" Azula seethed, firing an atom-small orb of black energy.

Toph thought for sure that Azula was aiming to end her right then and there, but was wronged by an explosion a few yards behind her.

Toph slowly turned around toward the smoldering pile of rising smoke, and gasped once it cleared.

"No… Haku!" Toph yelled.

Katara's eyes began to vibrate and she almost passed out. Sokka and Zuko's jaws dropped respectively.

Haku's blackened remains were smeared all across the ground, caked to the earth by the heat and power of the previous blast.

"There. That should make this little bout more interesting, yes?"

"Why? W-Why Haku?" Katara blubbered, dropping to her knees.

"I wasn't sure that it was the little person that was really healing you and boosting your power until you came back from the brink of death with her, fully restored. Someone with those kind of powers would be quite cumbersome to this confrontation, wouldn't you agree? I hope you won't think ill of me for leveling the playing field. After all, you DO have the power to match me, right? A healer would be morally unfair, by logic."

Toph turned back to Azula, her eyes darkened with grief.

"That's it. It's over now. I'm going to tear you to PIECES!" she screamed, stomping on the ground and opening her fifth, sixth, and seventh chakra gates.

Toph's newfound chi flow was so intense that it caused her skin to begin to glow. Her heart was racing at an inhuman pace, and veins were popping all over her body.

However, unbeknownst to Toph, her outstanding grief caused her vital fourth chakra, located in the heart, not only to close, but to seal itself, causing a large patch of negative energy to surge into her psyche, having an adverse effect on her mental functions and personality.

Despite this, Toph's power still continued to rise staggeringly every second. Everybody else shuddered at this power surge, all except Azula, who frowned for an undeterminable reason.

Once Toph's power rose to its limit, she lowered her hands and relaxed as much as she could.

Azula cocked her head to one side in half confusion/half amusement.

"Am I missing something? Did I feel a twinge of negative energy in that mix of smoke and mirrors?"

"Maybe." Toph said, her voice growing about as gruff as Azula's third gate voice. "That should only make this fight even MORE fun for you, right?"

"I suppose. But I'll let your actions be the judge of whether-"

Toph didn't even let Azula finish. In an instant, she fired a cannon-like fist straight into her nose, catapulting her into the sky.

Toph quickly followed, hoping that the one punch was enough of a composure loss to allow more swift, powerful punches, but Azula brushed off the first punch like it didn't even hurt, dodging the next rain of punches with less ease than Zuko or the Terra Team's attacks.

Toph threw one powerful fist at empty air, quickly looking around to find Azula's power, which seemed to just vanish.

"I'm finding it hard to believe that your full power could match mine if you're having so much trouble with one percent of it." Azula said, alighting on Toph's head with one foot.

Not being used to battle antics such as these, Toph didn't know what to do, so she just froze as Azula continued talking.

"Unless you're doing to same thing I am and holding your power back, in which case, stop. Holding anything back against me is not going to get you far, and freezing up like that is not going to get you ANYWHERE!"

At the last word, Azula delivered a shattering kick that sent Toph flying to the ground.

Toph stood and quickly brushed the dust off of her.

"Fine, then! I'll show you what I'm really made of!"

Azula floated down the ground with her arms behind her back and a near-permanent smile painted on her face.

Toph raised her fist, causing a large rock to rise with it.

With teeth clenched and a shaking arm, Toph began to siphon some type of power into her rock. And with a hard outward breath, the rock turned from dry beige to burgundy-red.

Toph shot her hand forward, causing the stone to fly forward to Azula, who tried to deflect the stone with her hand.

As soon as the first atom of her body touched the red rock, it exploded spectacularly, almost blowing Azula's arm off.

"Now, that's more like it!"

"She can make the earth explode now?" Sokka asked.

"It's a technique I helped her establish as a last-resort tactic. It's not impressive; it means she's getting desperate." Zuko explained with a concerned squint.

Toph raised herself on a stone platform high into the air, taking a large deposit of rocks from all over the enormous expanse of earth desert with her.

With one gasp of energy, every rock she brought with her into the air turned red.

Toph began to quickly fire off dozens of bomb-rocks at a time, raving the battlefield with surreal explosions of pure energy.

Azula began to dodge even these attacks, raising her power slightly in order to dodge more quickly and silently.

From afar, the battle looked like one continuous explosion.

Azula continued dodging until she was right underneath Toph, then rocketed up into the air and gave Toph a shattering uppercut that would've taken the head off of anybody else.

"Bye-bye." Azula finished, pointing her entire hand and firing a large black beam that engulfed Toph.

With an evil grin, Azula pushed her hand forward, sending a pulse into the beam that struck Toph and carried her into the ground.

Once the smoke cleared, Toph was in a familiar position, face-up on the ground, trembling.

"Had enough?" Azula asked, lifting Toph by the shirt and standing her on wobbly legs. "To be truly honest, you actually matched my power at 10% for a couple of seconds, but I knew we couldn't have that, could we? I'll tell you what: I'm feeling overly generous today. I decided against killing the taller healer because she was not a threat to me in the least; however, I'll allow you five minutes to heal and compose yourself, just to make sure this doesn't stop being fun."

"NO!" Toph screamed, unleashing a quick flash of power that was enough to surprise Azula and force her to step back.

"This is NOT over! I don't need your pity! I am stronger than I have ever been! I won't lose to you! I won't lose to ANYONE!"

Toph flew into the air and raised a trembling arm.

The ground began to tremble, and slowly, another massive cloud of rocks began to rise from all over the expanse of dry earth, but instead of immediately turning red, they began to gather together into a humongous ball of earth that looked like a tiny planet. And with a twitch of her hand and a powerful scream, the entire ball of rock turned red.

"No… NO!" Zuko yelled in vain. "What does she think she's doing?"

"W-We have to run!" Katara said.

"No use! That giant bomb has enough power to destroy all of Ba Sing Se. There's no way we're getting away from that! This entire countryside is going to turn into sand and there's not a thing in the world we can do about it!"

"_Promise me that if I open my seventh chakra… and the sheer power causes me to lose my mind… Promise me that you'll kill me before I do something that I'd regret if I WERE sane."_

'I have to do it… I have to do it now…' Katara thought, taking a bunch of water from her jug and shaping it into an icicle spear.

'I have to do it… I have to!'

"Katara? What are you doing?" Sokka asked, drawing Zuko's attention.

"I'm sorry, Toph!" Katara screamed as she threw the spear in a fantastic arc straight toward her. Toph didn't even notice the spear as it approached.

But only a moment before impact and certain death, Katara threw her hand to the side, throwing the spear off its path and completely missing Toph.

Katara dropped to her knees, her lip trembling in disappointment.

"I-I c-couldn't do i-it…" she cried, shutting her eyes.

In the air, Toph, oblivious to Katara's murder attempt, aimed her hand straight at Azula, causing the titanic bomb-rock to descend toward her.

Azula frowned and pointed at the bomb-rock, slowly surrounding it in a thick sheet of black energy and, in the process, stopping it in its tracks.

Azula clenched her fist tightly, causing the ball to instantly shrink down to the size of a toy rubber ball, which fell into her hand.

Toph was flabbergasted. Her mind drew a blank and she just stared.

Azula just admired the orb she created, then aimed and threw it straight up into the air.

Nothing happened for several second, then the sky seemed to explode in a giant flash of light.

No one's eyes went unshielded. Even Azula had to look away.

The expanse of exploding light could be seen from every corner of the world, even from the Poles.

The blinding light and whooshing winds even stirred to quaint land of New Zuko. However, deep within the bowels of the palace, something was happening. A chill was traveling at a rapid speed through the shaking building, looking for something. Something that the chill knew the location of.

It traveled through walls and through the floor into the basement levels and into one specific room. The meditation room. Aang's room. The chill circled Aang's meditating body and floated into one ear. A few tense seconds passed. Suddenly, Aang's glowing eyes shot open and his body in the Spirit World caught up to his physical body in one sudden explosion of light and power, causing a good quarter of the palace to explode.

As this happened, the light began to diminish, leaving behind a huge storm cloud made up of the smoke and leftover energy of the blast that discharged as lightning falling to the ground.

The citizens of New Zuko began to gather around the smoke-filled wing of the palace to see what was happening.

Aang, buffed up and newly empowered, stepped from the ruins and stared up at the rumbling cloud of smoke and black lightning falling to the earth. He then looked at his powerful new body, flexing his muscles and cracking his neck.

"Boy! Twelve millennia of nonstop training will really change your view, won't it? I have so much power bubbling over, I can barely contain it. But there's no time to stop and smell the roses now. Katara, Toph, Zuko, Sokka… Don't you guys worry anymore. I'm coming for you, right now."

Aang looked up at the sound of a low, churning grunt. His trusty Sky Bison, Appa, flew down and landed next to his friend and master.

"You can follow if you want, Appa, but I can't ride you there. You're a little too slow for my mission."

On that note, Aang bent his knees and shot into the air, flying out of sight almost immediately. Appa lifted himself into the air and cruised behind him.

000

Back at the battlefield, Toph trembled at what Azula had just done. What was worse was that what Toph had just tried was her absolute-last resort. She couldn't do anything stronger than that, and Azula brushed it aside with relative ease. Toph was helpless, and so was everybody else.

"Aw… Don't tell me that was it. That was the limit of your power? I had at least wanted to break 50% power, but I'll have to settle for 33%. I am utterly disappointed."

Azula's last words chilled everyone to the bone. A small tear slipped from Toph's eyes as she began to truly realize how helpless she was and how unstoppable Azula was. She was so deep into her internal conflict that she didn't notice Azula fly up to smash her downwards with her heel, then disappear and reappear on the ground ready to give her a jarring series of kicks that shattered all of Toph's bones and sent her sprawling on the ground in front of Katara and the others.

"If at any time you feel obligated to step in and help her, be my guest." Azula said, smashing Toph deeper into the ground with a powerful foot.

Not surprisingly, nobody moved.

With a smile, Azula lifted Toph up by her shirt.

"Sadly, I'm beginning to become bored with you, my friend. Now, a new question. Which should I splatter across the ground: your brain or your heart?" Azula asked herself. "The heart is delightfully messy, yet tragically cliché, but the brain is both original and, hopefully, colorful. Alright, then. Brain it is."

Azula lifted her hand, angling it so that it was enough of a bludgeon to smash Toph's skull and permeate her brain, but before she could swing, something crashed into the ground in front of her, forcing her to drop Toph and jump back.

The smoke and dust that rose from the impact point was quickly blown away, revealing the person they've been waiting for.

"Aang!" Katara yelled, running up to hug him.

"Katara… It's so good to see you again! You and the others were the only people I thought about during my time training. Where's Toph?"

Katara's eyes watered again, and she pointed.

"We're sorry, Aang. We can't help her. Azula's too powerful."

Katara watched for any hint of rage, or even anger, but Aang's face remained unchanged as she glanced from Toph's near-dead body to Azula.

Aang raised his hands and began to spin a vorpal disk of wind that looked sharp enough to cut through reality itself. Aang reared back to throw it at Azula, but to everyone's surprise, Aang spun on his heel and threw it behind him, into the air and quickly out of sight.

"Well, that takes care of that." Aang said, which not only shocked, but utterly confused everyone present, even Azula.

"Now then," Aang lowered his voice, lifting on finger and carefully making Toph's beaten and battered body rise into the air on an updraft of wind and carrying her gently behind him, to Katara's care.

Immediately, Katara attempted to heal her using Waterbending.

"I'm afraid that won't work. Your friend is far past her date of expiration."

'Urgh… She's right… This isn't working!' Katara growled inwardly.

"Katara, don't strain yourself. I'll fix Toph after I'm done here."

"You know, Aang, it doesn't have to be this way. You could end this now by surrendering and bowing down to me. Then you and your friends will be safe from what this world will be coming to."

"I'm sure I could," Aang said, to which Azula frowned. "And if I were in my right mind, I'd probably do just that. You can ask Zuko. I'm a man of forgiveness. I'm quicker to forgive than I am to throw stones. But there is one thing that I can NEVER forgive. And that's when you hurt my friends."

Aang clenched his fists, but he still showed no prominent signs of extreme anger.

"It doesn't matter if it takes one battle or a two-man war strewn over a million lifetimes! I make an Avatar promise that I will defeat you, for the sake of my friends, and for the sake of the world!"

Azula's frown turned upside-down.

"Alright, then, Avatar. Let's see just how strong you are."

"Aang, let us fight with you, please." Zuko asked, placing a hand on his friend's shoulder. "We need to repay our cowardice for not helping Toph when she needed it, even if we would die helping her."

"There's no shame in shrugging away from an impossible battle, Zuko. Toph had good intentions, but that was one lesson that she didn't believe in."

"If this is an impossible battle, why aren't you shrugging away from it?"

"Like I said, there's no shame in shrugging away from an impossible battle, but all the shame in the world falls on he who doesn't stand up for his beliefs. Do you believe in me?"

"Of course."

"Then do me a favor. Take my wife, Sokka, and Toph to the Great Wall, while I stand up for what **I** believe in."

Zuko nodded and stepped back.

"Are you ready to die yet?"

"I've never been more ready. Come at me with all you've got."

"All I've got would kill you in a half a second, and I want this to be fun, for the both of us, if you'd allow it, so I'll raise to 10% power and see how you can handle it."

Azula breathed outward and flashed forward faster than an eye could see, an eye other than Aang's. Just as quickly, Aang threw a punch that was surrounded in a shredding torrent of wind, stopping Azula in her tracks and throwing her jaws open both in searing pain and sudden surprise.

Aang pulled his fist back while still keeping the air torrent smashing into Azula's core, and gave a shattering punch straight into the center of the torrent, sending Azula flying backwards.

Azula struggled to stand, she breathed outward and regained whatever composure she had lost.

"Impressive…" she groaned. "10% isn't good enough for you, I see. Well, let's raise it to 25%."

Azula made another sharp breath and reared back before firing a thick beam of black electricity at Aang, who spun and kicked it away into the distance, causing a massive flash which blinded the surprised Azula and giving Aang the perfect opening to deliver another shattering fist that sent Azula into the sky.

Azula was able to recover herself in time to defend herself against Aang's next onslaught. His attacks were so fast that she was unable to dodge, so she blocked the jarring fists and kicks that Aang threw.

Everybody else who was still conscious watched from afar, against the Great Wall.

"This is a dream; it has to be." Katara said with a breathless voice. "How could my Aang have gotten so powerful in such a short time? It was only yesterday that we were almost perfectly matched in chi levels."

"Ethereal construction." Zuko answered, as if Katara would know what he was talking about.

"What?"

"It's using Energybending to build your own pocket dimension in the Spirit World. You can do anything you want in that pocket of time. Aang decided to slow time down to a crawl in order to train for over a thousand years in only two hours in real-time. Aang told me what he was planning to do, and by the looks of it, it worked wonders."

Back on the battlefield, Azula dropped her guard for an instant after a hard punch to her forearm, giving Aang another opening for a kick to the chest which sent Azula to the ground, landing hard on her feet.

With another breath, Azula leaped up again, much faster.

"Unbelievable! You power just skyrocketed again! This has got to be 50%, right?"

"This is 33%, my friend, and it looks like you're having more trouble keeping up.

Aang leaped away from a wide swing of Azula's arm, falling into the ground as if it were water.

Azula looked around anxiously for Aang, who did not surface for two minutes.

"Fine. If you won't come out, I'll have to drag you out."

Azula used her jet boots to fly higher into the air, before forming an orb of black lightning in her palm. Just as she was about to throw it, a ball of normal-colored fire shot out of the watery earth and flew right past Azula's nose.

"Grr! Coward!" Azula seethed, attracting the attention of two more fireballs that shot from different locations. Azula dodged one, but another struck her on the leg. All the fireball did was sting, which was when Azula realized that her opponent was toying with her, which did not help her mood.

With a terrifying scream, Azula threw the ball of energy she was holding at the earth, surprised to find that it had solidified again. The explosion blew up a huge cloud of dust.

Suddenly, another fireball stung her back, causing Azula to whip around in rage. In her distraction, Azula didn't notice Aang closing in from the left, delivering a shattering flying mule kick right into her face.

Azula flew down to the ground, rolling to a stop. She stood, clutching her bruised cheek.

"Wow! I can't believe you can still stand! I thought I snapped your neck, or at the very least broke your nose!" Aang said with an admiring smile.

"Yes, you are much more of a challenge than your friends are. Perhaps 50% power would be appropriate for such a worthy opponent."

"Good. Maybe today I'll finally get to use my Energy Bomb against an opponent that's not a simulation of my mind."

"Did he say 'Energy Bomb'? What's that?" Katara asked, continuing to pick up voice vibrations from the wet air.

"Hell if I know. I wasn't in the Spirit World with him." Zuko said. "Though if I had to venture a guess, I'd say that it's his strongest Energybending attack."

"You know, if I was still the me I was twelve Spirit World millennia ago, this attack would've taken me a whole year to charge up, but thanks to my training, now I can do it in only fifteen seconds. Do you want to see?"

"Be my guest." Azula said, but inwardly, she was frowning in frustration.

'Aang has already proven to be much more than a match for all of his cronies put together. I wish I could say with confidence that this 'Energy Bomb' is all one big strategic bluff to force me to get sloppy, but I can't take any chances.'

Azula snapped herself out of her thoughts and gaped in surprise when she saw what Aang was doing. He raised his hands in the air, put his legs together, puffed out his chest, and closed his eyes. He couldn't leave himself more open if he tried.

Not wanting to pass up such an opportunity, Azula flashed forward, not stopping to consider if his stance was a feint.

As it turns out, it wasn't. Azula successfully smashed Aang in the stomach with her knee, breaking him out of his stance and sending him flying backwards farther than any punch or kick could've sent him.

He stood slowly, one hand rubbing his tightening stomach, and the other scratching his bald head, which gave Azula a confused look.

"What's the deal? I thought you wanted to see the Energy Bomb."

Azula clenched her teeth so hard they threatened to crack, and her eyes became almost bloodshot with rage and surprise.

'Are you serious? I put every ounce of physical strength I had into that strike, and he doesn't even look irritated!'

"Why do you look so shocked? Oh! Yeah, I should probably mention that I trained so hard in the Spirit World that every nerve in my skin has either broken or exhausted itself into a bodily hibernation. In other words, I can't feel pain."

Azula's blood froze. She stayed where she was, her eyes widened and bloodshot, her shoulders tense and rigid.

'He can't feel pain… How am I supposed to get enjoyment out of an opponent who can't feel pain?'

"You okay? You seem a bit out of it."

"Well, this is an…interesting turn of events…" Azula said, clenching her fists. "But I believe that this little game is going to be drawing to a close. That being said…"

Azula unclenched her fists and clawed the air at her sides. Black electricity raced across her body for about two seconds.

"It's time to get serious."

Aang drew in a breath. "Wow, that's some power! Are you sure that's 50%?"

"75%. There's no use in toying with you if you can't make this fun, and 75% power is far more than enough to match even your colossal strength."

"I'll say! I may have to open my fourth gate in order to match that kind of power!" Aang said.

'Is he serious?' Azula thought, her face not changing.

Azula quickly raised her fingers at Aang.

"Bang!" she said, causing a several-yard radius of land, centered where Aang was standing, to explode spectacularly.

Knowing that the one blast wasn't enough to destroy him, Azula began to fire a barrage of black fireballs into the smoke cloud.

"Come on… Fifteen lousy seconds is all I'm asking for." Aang said from behind Azula, causing her to breathe in sharply.

Before Aang could make another smart-aleck comment, Azula spun on her heel and gave him a jarring fist right to the chest, sending him flying again.

"Urgh… That's amazing!" Aang groaned as he stood. "You brought new life into these old nerves o'mine! That one actually hurt a little bit!"

"Grahh! Shut up!" Azula yelled, firing another barrage of missiles at Aang, who once again disappeared in a flash.

'Wait a moment… He's playing me like a fiddle! This is exactly what he wants, and I'm like clay between his fingers!'

"I must admit, that was a good strategy, intentionally getting me riled so I'd get sloppy, but that's all over now."

"Or it would be, if you'd just give me fifteen-"

Azula didn't let Aang, who had reappeared behind her, finish his sentence, and instead gave another jarring attack.

Both fighters disappeared, and even Zuko found it hard to keep up with their energies.

When they reappeared again, which was several minutes later, Aang looked like he was put through his rounds, but still didn't show signs of pain.

"You seem serious." he observed, wiping to blood from his lip. "Alright, then. Let's get real!"

Aang zipped forward and gave Azula an uppercut that sent her flying into the air.

Aang jumped up, too, bringing a few stones with him. Aang progressively landed on one stone and used Airbending to spring off of it and deliver another attack, until Aang and Azula were so close to the storm cloud above that it looked like nighttime.

The bald Avatar reared back and delivered a bone-shattering axe kick that began Azula's downward spiral, in all senses of the term.

"Finally." Aang breathed out, taking his Energy Bomb stance.

Green blobs of Aang's physical energy began to seep from his body and form a glowing blob in his hands. Once the blob had grown to about the size of a giant orange, he breathed out and made the ball levitate over his hand.

"That was only ten seconds. Awesome, new record!"

"W-Wow!" Zuko said, feeling out the energy of Aang's Energy Bomb. "That power is no joke! This could be it!"

Suddenly, the slab of rock that Zuko, Katara, and Sokka stood on began to rise.

They made a sideways glance at Toph, and not surprisingly, she was not the cause.

'Sorry for the sudden relocation, but this is about to rock the world, so I'm just getting you to high ground.' Aang said telepathically to his conscious friends and the Terra Team.

Once Aang had gotten them safely on the wall, he took aim and threw his Energy Bomb down to where Azula was still slowly spiraling.

When Azula finally hit the ground, she had a hard time getting her eyes to focus, and when she finally did, she looked up just in time to see the Energy Bomb tumble down into her.

Fromm afar, when the Energy Bomb struck, it was a spectacular sight. A good mile of the ground suddenly upheaved in one moment, forming a beautifully abstract crag-mountain formation, before exploding up into the air in a bright column of light.

Katara and Sokka cheered, while Zuko stared on in pride and relief.

Aang floated down to the ground, standing inches away from the smoking crater that was once Azula.

With one hand, he lifted up the slab that his friends stood on and floated them down to his level.

"Aang, that was amazing!" Katara screamed, running up to her husband and giving him a hug so strong that it might just have broken Aang in half in it were any tighter.

"Yeah, it was, wasn't it? Now, let's see if we can't fix Toph up a little bit.

Aang began to walk forward, but a small wisp of electricity zipped across his body, freezing him in place and causing him to jump.

"Hey, my nerves seem to be working again!"

"That's the idea…" said a weak voice from the smoke.

"No… No! It's not possible!" Katara screamed.

"You just won't stay down, will you?" Aang asked Azula with slight annoyance as she emerged from the smoke.

"Hmm… It's amazing how much an electricity shield can cushion you from, isn't it? Now that I've given you the gift of pain once again, we can go back to our fun little game. Let's take it up to the last level, **sudden death…**"

Azula breathed in and out rapidly, the ground shaking violently. Her blackened skin was beginning to crack and tear, and with one scream that would frighten a banshee, all of the outer layer of Azula's skin shattered, revealing glowing, pale, unbroken skin underneath.

After looking at Azula for another moment, Aang realized why her skin broke away. Azula had grown massively in stature. She was now much taller and thicker than Aang was.

Aang could only stare. Katara scooped Toph into her arms and ran away with Zuko and Sokka.

"Go ahead and stare. This form, the form of 100% of my power, will be the last thing you will ever see!"

Quicker than a flash, Azula delivered a powerful fist right into Aang's face, sending him flying into the Great Wall.

The injured Avatar screamed out as he fell to the ground, his entire body trembling.

'So… much pain… This is unreal… How can I win against something so powerful?'

Aang looked up, staring now in terror at the inhuman monster that barreled toward him at breakneck speeds, preparing to deliver another painful barrage of attacks.

**(A/N: And… we must stop it there! Going any further would ruin the ending.**

**Now, I know I said there'd only be three chapters of Katara's Memoirs, but this chapter would've dragged on for too long, so I'm splitting the last chapter into two more parts, so the next chapter, Everlasting Resolution, will be the last of KM, then we go back to the present.**

**Now, the secret to the last chapter of KM is hidden in this one, but you have to be not only an observant reader, but also a critical thinker of epic proportions! If you can tell me how Azula will die, you will land yourself a spot on my Favorite Author's List, which is a bigger achievement than it sounds. Only real-world friends and authors of stories I really, really, REALLY like have a chance of getting on that list, and thought it seems a little superfluous, be proud of your great accomplishment.**

**I can guarantee that you won't guess how Azula will die, but if you think you know send me a PM with your answer. I'm dying to hear what you guys think!**

**Well, got to get to sleep, big day again tomorrow! I'll see you lot next time on Avatar: Rise of the Shadowbenders! Until then, this is SH10, signing out!)**


	27. Katara's Memoirs: Everlasting Resolution

**(A/N: All good things must come to an end… But who says it doesn't have to be the BEST ENDING EVER? Certainly not your gracious host, that's for sure! My homework is all done, I just finished working out and playing Wii Sports Resort, and I'm hopped up on peanut butter sandwich crackers! I could sweep through Everlasting Resolution in one night of hard work!**

**Now, let's see if I can really do that without collapsing from exhaustion on my laptop (again). We're leaping with both feet back into the climax of the Aang vs. Azula ultimate clash!)**

Katara had described the battle with the monstrous Azula many times as something straight out of a nightmare, but in the form Azula took now, Katara established that the scene she was witnessing was one straight out of hell itself.

Azula's body could just barely be described as human. Her engorged muscles had reemerged, more distorted and bulging than ever, and she had grown to where Aang's full volume was roughly three-quarters of Azula's.

Her pupils completely vanished, as did all of her previous injuries. Her hair was alive with electricity, strewn all over the place like the lunatic she was.

Her voice was frighteningly powerful and almost deity-like, much scarier than any of the deep voices she had raised before this point.

However, the scariest part of all was how easily Azula was now beating Aang to a pulp. Just moments ago, Azula couldn't lay a finger on him, now she's throwing him around like a rag doll.

Aang hit the ground hard, and Azula stepped on his chest to keep him from getting up, which he would've had a hard time doing anyway.

"Come now… Is the feeling of pain after so long that unfamiliar to you that you'd just stop cold in your tracks and not bother to fight back?" Azula asked, pressing him deeper into the earth. Azula was pressing against his chest in such a way that his lungs couldn't receive air. Aang was choking like a fish out of water.

Aang's body began to shut down; his heart began to slow down and his pulse weakened, but his mind was working harder than it ever had before.

'Zuko… Toph… Sokka… Katara… Tenzin… All of my friends… They're all going to die… For me giving up because I think that I'm not strong enough… No! Never!'

As Aang's mind worked, he opened his fifth, sixth, and seventh gate, unlocking the full power of the Avatar State, and with a sharp exhale and a quick glow of his tattoos, he projected a pillar of rock where he and Azula stood, causing them both to fly into the air. Azula had to release him for lack of support, allowing Aang to pummel her with a blast of wind.

Aang dropped to the ground with a quake, bounding up again and giving Azula a solid fist that cannoned her into the sky.

Aang tensed every muscle he had and reared back, condensing a fireball in his hands into a ball of white-hot energy that shook the earth.

"HAA!" Aang screamed until his lungs threatened to burst, firing the impossibly thick beam of condensed fire straight at Azula, who threw both hands in front of her to stop it.

She clenched her teeth as he hands seethed from the powerful heat, and the blast threatened to overcome her and consume her, but at the last moment, Azula formed an expanding ball of black fire, which failed to deflect the eminent explosion that followed.

Aang's muscles were on fire, and he dropped to his knees, panting.

"What a workout… I wasn't expecting it to turn out like this…"

"Is it done? Is it over?" Katara asked, still trying to revive Toph.

"I don't know, but I hope so. It looked like that was all that Aang had left." Sokka said.

When the smoke from the explosion cleared, lo and behold, there floated Azula, her hands completely smoldered, an expression of rage and surprise twisted onto her face.

"He he… Is it safe to assume that you've caught your second wind?" she asked with a grimace as she downed her jet boots and fell to the ground. "I must admit; this battle has been fun, but from the way you look, it seems that you just used up the last of your strength. It's time to- Hm?"

Azula stopped short when she saw Aang slowly lifting his hands, putting his feet together, and sticking his chest out.

As soon as she realized what Aang was doing, she ran forward and smashed him in the chest, sending him sprawling again.

"That last Energy Bomb was way too close for comfort. It's not happening again; not on my watch!"

Aang seemed not to hear what she was saying and continued to lift his hands. Slowly, but surely, a green ball of energy was beginning to form.

Azula flashed forward again and began to repeatedly pummel Aang in the stomach, but despite this, his hands were still raised and the Energy Ball was still growing, but when Azula delivered a shattering knee to his face, sending him flying again, the ball began to shrink, but when Aang stood and resumed his painful, shaky stance, the ball grew again.

"Aha! Now I see! The energy from that bomb comes from YOU, and it looks to me like the less you can concentrate, the weaker the bomb gets. Well, don't worry about a thing. I can be a very persuasive distraction."

And with that, Azula delivered another knee into Aang's side, sending his flying and exploding like a firework into the Great Wall.

From his unbearable position, Aang continued to keep his hands raised, but the ball was growing more slowly.

Azula flew to the wall and grabbed Aang, throwing him back down to the ground. Aang got up as quickly as he could and continued to expand the Energy Bomb.

'This isn't good… One last Energy Bomb is perhaps all Aang has left, and he can't even get it done.' Zuko thought. "I have to help him. Stay put, you guys."

And with that ominous message left to Katara and Sokka, Zuko took off on his jet boots, flying full-speed toward the battlefield.

"*sigh* You just don't know when to quit, do you? Well, if you're going to persist on trying to create this thing, I guess it's time to end this, to make sure it never gets created.

Azula pointed a finger that was glowing with dark electricity straight at Aang's nose. Aang whimpered in fear at the object of his death, but he either couldn't, or he refused to lower his hands from the Energy Bomb formation position.

"Goodbye, Avatar."

A mere millisecond before Azula could fire, Zuko came flying in, delivering a missile-like kick straight into Azula's stomach, causing her to yell out in pain and surprise.

With a powerful thrust, Zuko allowed that one kick to send Azula flying into the distance.

Zuko panted, then looked to Aang.

"Hurry and get finished with that Energy Bomb. That sucker kick was all I could think to do, and I can guarantee, it didn't do anything but make her even angrier.

"I'm trying, I'm trying!" Aang groaned, fighting through the pain and forcing the energy out of his body and into the bomb. It was still growing at a slow rate, but much faster than before.

Zuko gasped when he felt something in the distance. "She's coming back; hurry!"

Azula barreled through the air on jet boots that were more powerful than any other jet boots she had used before, a face of pure anger bubbling on the surface.

Zuko flew into the air and threw violet fireballs at Azula, which did nothing but blow up smoke, and as a final effort, he fired a large beam of purple electricity at Azula, which did nothing but throw soot on her skin and blow up even more smoke. She didn't even slow down.

"Hurry!"

"IT'S DONE!" Aang screamed, leaping in front of Zuko with a scream.

When Azula saw what was coming, she screamed as well, unable to stop with all the deathly momentum she had already.

Aang and Azula's screams seemed to pool together as Azula flew, headfirst, into the Energy Bomb, which Aang threw in front of him.

A powerful explosion of green smoke flew up in mushroom-cloud form, and Aang landed hard on the ground, but slowly got up, dusting himself off.

Aang and Zuko limped more than they walked back to where Katara and Sokka remained. The kick he gave Azula really tore up Zuko's leg something fierce.

"Whew! It's finally over!" Aang bellowed, falling to the ground with a sharp exhale. The sound of something approaching caught his attention, followed by the sound of lighting striking right next to him. The next thing he knew, Zuko was on the ground, a red, star-shaped burn tearing right through his shoulder.

Aang looked forward, and all of his blood seemed to evaporate at once, freeze over, then sublimate into gas again.

Azula was standing there, her firing arm trembling. Her body was covered in burns and the spot on her forehead where the Energy Bomb struck bled green, forming a perfect circle.

It's hard to tell the exact moment when all the hope someone has is suddenly sent down the proverbial drain, but for Aang, Katara, and Sokka, it was at this exact moment, when they saw Azula still alive.

"You look so forlorn… Don't sell yourself short, Avatar; I thought I was done for, as well. But that Energy Bomb was significantly weaker than the one that struck me before, and that weakened state against 100% of my power had a lot of effect, but not enough to end it."

No one could speak. They could only gape in horror.

"And another thing; I just realized something. There are way too many things interfering with the battle. So, just to make sure the playing field is properly leveled…"

Azula pointed her finger at Katara, and before anybody could move, a thin beam of electricity shot straight through the right side of her chest, and she fell to the ground, the look of horror and pain frozen on her twitching face.

Aang's blood turned to ice and stayed that way. He looked behind him, his eyes locked on his wife, whose face was frozen, as if she had no idea what had just happened to her.

Aang's heart gave a sharp twinge when he saw a trickle of blood escape Katara's lips after a sickening, wet cough, then her eyes dulled.

Azula turned her deadly fingers on Sokka, but a powerful outburst of energy interrupted.

All at once, Aang's seven chakras sealed themselves off, replacing themselves with intense floods of negative energy.

Aang turned on Azula with glowing white tattoos and teeth clenched. His rage was becoming a tangible entity around him, so powerful that the entire earth seemed to be trembling in fear of whatever this was that Aang was doing.

Suddenly, Aang's tattoo glow began to change. They changed from white to pink, and finally, blood red.

Sokka stared at Aang in both horror and amazement. His power had risen to staggering heights.

"Aang, don't worry! Katara's alive! She's barely breathing, but she's alive! Calm down!" Sokka tried to call to him.

'Sokka!' Aang called back telepathically. 'I can't control myself! My worst fears are coming true… I'm in the Avatar State, watching myself. I don't know what I'm going to do, but this evil energy is scary! From inside my mind, I can sense Appa coming. Get Katara, Toph, and Zuko to safety, but don't come back! Get as far away from me as you can!'

As Aang told this to Sokka, said Air Bison landed next to Sokka, shrinking away from Aang.

'Go now!'

Sokka nodded and quickly and carefully loaded his downed friends onto Appa's saddle.

"Yip yip!" Sokka called, commanding Appa into the air. He flew as fast as he could away from Aang, who still had not moved. Sokka decided to fly into the city, which he soon discovered had evacuated into large crafts on the ocean that bordered the Ba Sing Se peninsula.

"I guess there's no use in holding back anymore. Though I had all 100% of my power, I felt I didn't need to use it all. Now I have a reason."

Aang smiled and leaped forward, just as Azula did, and when they met, a huge explosion of black and red energy exploded, mixing in an ominous cloud of blood red.

As the almost invisible battle raged on, Azula began to become frustrated.

'I'm exhausted… My power is dropping… At this rate… It's over…'

Aang could see that Azula was tiring and smiled a twisted, evil smile.

'_Her power lies in the stomach…'_ the evil side of the Avatar remembered, tapping into Aang's memory.

With that in mind, Aang rushed forward at Azula, breaking he defenses and delivering a fist to the stomach that didn't seem to do much at first, but Aang caused shredding winds to surround his fist, tearing into the skin of her stomach, eventually causing the crucial organ to rip, and in turn, causing the oily black energy that sat in her stomach to pour out like a river.

Azula screamed as her deflating body began to convulse. Aang finished with a punch that could shatter steel like it was glass, right on the top of Azula's skull, sending her flying down to the ground.

Aang watched as the black energy continued to flood out of Azula, evaporating into the air and causing it to fog up. When the energy sprinkler stopped, Azula was still the same size as before, but she could barely hold her head up straight. It took all of her remaining strength just to assume the most vulnerable position possible from her place, on her hands and knees, trembling.

Aang gave a smile that would send a chill down the spine of the evilest person in existence, then flew down with a fist cocked, to finish off his prey.

A moment before impact, Aang's tattoos went from red to white, and he slammed into the ground with both feet, stopping his fist before he could end it.

'I can't do it… Not even to you…'

Azula slowly raised her head to view the darkened look of melancholy that lay on Aang's face.

"What? What are you doing?" Azula asked as Aang stood, looked up at the sky, then turned around, his face still darkened.

"You're no Avatar… If you don't have the nerve to kill someone as evil as I am… What kind of a hero are you supposed to be?"

Aang didn't answer, which only made Azula angrier.

"So that's it? You're going to be the Samaritan and spare my life as you did my father? You're crazier than I am! You're no Avatar! You're nothing but a spineless-"

As Azula said this, something that she would never see coming, or know what it was that was coming, appeared from behind and cleaved right through her body.

Aang shot a hand up and caught the object of Azula's death: a disc of razor-sharp winds; the same disc of razor-sharp winds that he threw behind him at the beginning of the battle.

Azula stayed in place for a few more moments, as Aang spoke.

"If you're still alive back there, before you die, I'd like to leave you with some knowledge that you may find completely random: It takes THAT long for a circular wind saw to travel around the world. Oh, the things you must have seen, my friend." Aang said, directing the last statement to the wind saw, which he looked at with jealous eyes.

Aang turned around, then blew on Azula. On cue, her upper body leaned forward and separated itself from her lower body, then her lower body fell backwards.

Aang gave a powerful glare at the ground, and it separated, without Aang having to make any other moves.

Both halves of Azula's body fell into the crevasse, and just as Aang willed the earth with a twitch of his eyes to open, he squinted hard at the ground, and it closed just as quickly.

From his side, Aang lifted a finger, and a tombstone rose. Aang exhaled sharply, and words pressed themselves into the stone:

'HERE LIES AZULA, LOST TO THE SHADOWS OF HER MIND'

Aang stared at Azula's grave for a moment more before pointing a hand at the sky and stretching out his fingers, causing the dark clouds that still hovered overhead to separate and bleed into the blue of the real sky.

000

After Ba Sing Se was repopulated, Aang met with Sokka, who had delivered his three fallen friends into intensive care. In their ward, Aang looked with sadness upon each dying body, and with a sigh of submission, he placed one hand on Toph.

"Let me teach you a little more about Energybending, Sokka." he said. "There are many different types of 'energy', in the sense of the word, but there are three that are important over all others: green physical energy, from where your power comes and where the strength of your bending is mainly determined, blue spiritual energy, which is most important for the Avatar, for it connects him with all of the physical world and the spiritual world, and white life energy, which is given in a specific amount for each person when they're born. It is automatic usage of life energy that heals you when you are injured. It is the conservation of life energy that prevents aging, like when you're frozen in a block of ice for a hundred years." Aang chuckled.

"It is the slow dispersion of life energy that causes aging. But there are some things that life energy can't heal on its own, and when a person runs out of life energy, what happens then is a no-brainer. Therefore, using the life energy in yourself, you have the potential to bring somebody back to life, at the cost of your own. The same thing applies to me, though, being the Avatar, I have a substantial amount of life energy, MUCH more than anybody else in the world."

"What are you trying to say?" Sokka asked.

"I'm going to heal Toph, Katara, and Zuko using life energy. This will dramatically shorten my lifespan, but it's a small price to pay."

As Aang said this, white energy traveled across his arm and flowed into Toph's sleeping body. Almost instantly, her injuries, internal and external, healed completely.

Aang stood, and Sokka was shocked to see that Aang looked older than before.

After going through the same process with Katara and Zuko, Aang had deteriorated into a elderly man, but in return, his friends were fully restored and better than ever.

000

After that, the Gaang began to collapse, permanently.

The first to die was Toph, which was a shock to everyone. It was five years later. She died suddenly during childbirth. Katara was truly devastated, but Aang took the death harder than anybody else.

Zuko was the next to go. A year after Toph died, he was finally diagnosed with a terminal heart complication that was incurable at the time. The cruel ironic twist of his death was that a week after he died, the doctor who had diagnosed him had come up with a treatment.

Tenzin was a grown man then. He moved out about ten years after the battle, and not a moment too soon, because that same day, while we escorted Tenzin and his wife and children to the Southern Air Temple, a typhoon ravaged our home, and had anybody been home that day, no one would've survived.

It was 52 years after the battle that Aang finally succumbed to his age acceleration, and Katara was heartbroken, and scared. It was three days later, the day of Aang's funeral, that two things happened. Suki's daughter, Seraph gave birth to who we knew was the next Avatar, Korra, and Katara developed an extremely acute case of necrophobia, the fear of death.

Katara had heard the legends of the twin oasis to the Spirit Oasis in the Northern Water Tribe hidden somewhere in the south, that was much more powerful than its sister oasis. She spent the rest of what she called a normal life searching for this oasis, and when she finally found it, she was shocked to discover the true powers of the Oasis.

Carved on the side of the wall in the Oasis Cave was a description of the pools' mystic powers. Each had a physical advantage, but an emotional disadvantage.

The Pool of Wisdom, forged by the first Waterbending Avatar, drastically increases one's spiritual energy supply, granting knowledge of the infinite, of things that no one else even knew. However, it has an emotion drawback of mental emptiness, or boredom. Knowing the secrets of the world will kill the purpose of thinking.

The Pool of Power, forged by the second Waterbending Avatar, increases one's physical energy supply to the maximum level, creating a power stronger than any human being could ever imagine. The drawback is insanity. Such power will warp the mind in a way that the person who drinks from it becomes animalistic.

The Pool of Life, forged by the third Waterbending Avatar, overflows whoever drinks from it with life energy, giving them virtually eternal life.

Katara didn't read the rest of it. As soon as she heard eternal life, she used her Waterbending to pump as much of the pool into her stomach as possible. She didn't realize its effects until long after she had drunk from it.

The emotional drawback of the Pool of Life was loneliness. You could make good friends, but living forever, there's no way that powerful friendships will last, making it all the more heartbreaking when those friendships end…

000

"I had to learn that the hard way, as I watched everybody I knew die around me, and I entered a era of strangers. I separated myself from society, then eventually went mad, forming the Dome to cushion my pain from everybody else. Whenever I would see someone, I went crazy with joy and froze them so that I could be friends with them forever." Katara finished, taking a deep breath.

TeaMeiya was listening intently at the vividly breathtaking tale of Katara's final big mission together with her friends.

"Any questions?"

Meiya raised her hand, and Katara nodded to her.

"How much would you know about finding a new Waterbending source, now that the moon is nearly dead?"

"Koi fish." Katara said, looking at Meiya as if the answer was obvious.

"Wh-what?"

"Koi fish." Katara repeated.

"I… don't follow…"

"*sigh* You know what I'm talking about, right?" Katara asked Khole, who shook her head.

"Jeez, I didn't this would be that difficult." Katara said, pointing at the wall. A detailed inscription and diagram of the anatomy of a koi fish pressed itself into the wall. Katara formed a thin sheet of ice, like a schoolteacher's pointer, then ran it across different parts of the inscription as she talked.

"A koi fish's streamlined body is able to easily glide through the water, pushing it aside and giving it the presence of floating in a sea of air. They also have the odd ability to form currents around them, and large enough groups of these fish have the potential to alter natural sea currents for up to a week. Who can tell me why they can do this?"

Khole raised her hand. "Their whiskers!"

"Correct. It is popularly believed that the hiskers of these beautiful fish are what allow them to make their own currents. They pull the water along with them. Push and pull. Now, it's different for Waterbenders, because over millennia, all of us have formed a sort of spiritual connection with the moon, but if we can replace that connection with an even stronger one, Waterbending will return, without the help of the moon."

"But what about Yue?" Meiya asked. "The Moon Spirit?"

"Wrong! Yue is not the Moon Spirit." Katara corrected.

"Wh-what? Now you're talking nonsense!"

"Think about it. You seem to know your history; Yue gave her power back to the deceased Moon Koi, Tui. Wouldn't that mean that Yue's spirit lies within Tui, not the moon? If anything, Yue is technically one half of the Koi Spirit, simply connected to the moon by contract."

"That makes enough sense… But what are you thinking?"

"If you can bring Tui and La back here to act with me as the bridge between Waterbending and the Waterbenders, your problems are solved!"

"That doesn't just make sense; that's genius!" Khole said.

"Well, if it's so genius, why are you still here? Get the gettin'!"

TeaMeiya stood, and with new resolve instilled in their hearts, they ran out of Katara's cave and back toward the Village, in the southbound direction.

**(A/N: And there you have it: the last chapter of Katara's Memoirs! I know, it was a little rushed at the end, but I couldn't help it, I desperately want to get back to the regular storyline.**

**Next chapter, Ischi rejoins us! *applause!* And we bleed into our filler chapters! Still looking for some more suggestions (I only have two, and I need at least three).**

**Before we go, I'd like to make a special shout-out to one of my school friends, whose penname is Sarj21. He publicized my story and I got a ton of reviews yesterday! (Yes, four reviews in one day is a ton for me.) All of them were shining, and I loved them all equally, but the review spotlight this time around falls on cassy, who believes that I am a thirty-year old super-genius. Heh heh heh… Now, cassy, bottle that shock, because I'm actually only 14. *gasp!* That's right! Hard to believe, ain't it? And the second reason the review spotlight falls on you is because you inadvertently gave me an idea for a filler! Yay!**

**Did nobody else notice the wind saw that Aang threw behind him when he appeared? I don't blame you guys, it was surprisingly vague, and a little understated, compared to the rest of the fight.**

**Well, that's all I have to say! I'll see you guys next week, hopefully, in our first filler chapter, Who's Fight Was It, Anyway? Until then, this is SH10, signing out, my peeps!)**


	28. Who Is Kaizu?

**(A/N: Welcome back to another installment of your favorite Avatar redux: Rise of the Shadowbenders! Today we jump into our first filler chapter: Who Is Kaizu?**

**I'd like to first apologize to TeamAvatar. I tried to fight through your suggestion to pan out to TeaMeiya's past fistfights, but as hard as I fought, I couldn't get past Ischi's flashback. Writer's block hit me like a Louisville Slugger. Never fear, though! Because I'm going to try to edge that into one of the next MidSeason Q&A's.**

**Now, a little while back, I made up a little challenge that got few responses, and then I realized that a few people… misinterpreted it… (Sorry, Focus Features. No hard feelings? ^^) So now, I'm doing the same challenge, but worded much differently, and the question is as clear as water: IF Avatar: Rise of the Shadowbenders was being made into a movie, who would you want as the cast, based on the characters' personalities and the physical descriptions of them throughout the story, also listed below:**

**Meiya- average height; blue-green eyes; stern appearance and personality; blonde; about 15 years old**

**Kohi- a little on the short side; grey eyes; cheerful as a parade; brunette; about 14 years old**

**Ischi- a little taller than Meiya; sea-blue eyes; stoic, but peace-loving; raven hair, about 17 years old**

**Zuko- taller than Ischi; golden eyes; passionate, yet serious when the time comes; soot-colored hair; about 17 years old**

**Reigo (as a child)- about as tall as Zuko (about as tall as Kohi); grey eyes; as serious as a heart attack, but sadistically playful with those who are weaker; white hair; about 24 year old (about 15 years old)**

**Kaizu- taller than Zuko; broad and stocky build; wears glasses in front of grey eyes; very morose; white hair; about 21 years old**

**Kumori- pretty much Reigo, but older, and taller than Zuko; about 41 years old**

**And that's all of the main cast. I'll let you fool around with that as we move into the next chapter, which will either be long or longer, depending on how I'm feeling about it. Let's see!)**

Slowly but surely, the sharp smell of exotic plants drew Ischi out of her sickness coma. Her heavy eyelids slowly opened, then began to look around. Everyone was standing around her with smiles on their faces, and Zuko kneeled beside her, holding the sharp-smelling plants to her itchy nose.

The smell caused Ischi's nose to crinkle, and with a sneeze, all of the energy she had seemed to flow again, and she sat up.

"Welcome back." Zuko said, leaning forward and embracing her. Ischi glanced at Meiya as she hugged her fiancé.

"Did you end up learning Waterbending?"

"Not yet, but you'll never guess who we met!" the young Avatar said excitedly.

"Who?"

"We'll have to tell you on the way; we have to get to the North pole and back as quickly as possible." Khole said.

"Why?"

"The Koi fish are the answer to our problems!" Kohi yelled in excitement, throwing off the jacket, gloves, and other thermal garbs, then just as quickly jumping back into her original soft, airy clothes. "Come on, slowpokes! Hurry up!"

Meiya was using a frosted mirror to experiment with a new look, she cut her hair, which she hadn't been doing since she stole the Sky Bison back from Reigo outside Ba Sing Se. "I was so busy worrying about you that I forgot how annoying you are."

"Aw! You worried about me?"

"Don't push it." Meiya warned, using a leather strip from her Airbending cloak to tie her shorter hair into an easier-manageable ponytail plume.

Ischi stood up and stretched cracking her neck and relaxing her tensed-up muscles.

"It's good to be back." she sighed.

000

"Was that weird or what?" Twi asked, stretching the creaks out of her still-aching bones.

"It wouldn't have been, had you listened to me and stayed away from that Dome thing!"

"But, as it turned out, it WAS something awesome! Can you believe that Katara is still alive after all of these years?"

"Don't even THINK about telling anybody else! We're already on thin ice with mom for going bat-crap crazy during that strangely alter-universal party, and the ice is going to get thinner if she's noticed that we've been missing. We don't want her to think we've gone crazy."

"Stop right there!"

Su Li gasped and turned around with a jump, while Twi just glanced to the side with a curious look. A man from the Fire Nation ran up to them, taking them both by the arm.

"I've found them!" the man yelled out, escorting Twi and Su Li in the direction they were going to be traveling in the first place.

The twins were confused, until they met the furious face of their adopted mother.

"Where have you two been? We've been searching for you for a whole day!"

Su Li's jaw dropped, while Twi's face became more perplexed.

"A-A whole day?" Su Li asked.

"Did I stutter? You'd better have a good explanation for your disappearance!"

"We do, Mom! We were captured by this-"

"Twi wanted to see what was over that hill and she thought she saw something so she followed it; I chased her down. We must've gotten lost. But I had only thought that we'd been gone for a couple of hours! I had no idea it had been a whole day! How can you tell when the sun never shines?"

"About a decade ago, the luxury of a mechanical clock in a Fire Nation home would be sought for like the knowledge of the universe beyond ours. That's not a luxury anymore. Everybody has them, and they're EVERYWHERE! That's all I've been forcing myself to look at for the past day, counting the minutes of anxiety that you've put me through."

"We're sorry! We didn't mean to make you worry, honest!" Twi pleaded.

Ara closed her eyes and sighed. "Well, I guess that, since you're here now, and you wouldn't have a good reason or a good mind to lie to me after that monstrous fiasco. Besides, punishing you would be redundant unless we were home."

"So, what now?" Su Li asked.

"Well, we got the ship free about an hour ago. It wouldn't have taken so long if we had more hands on deck instead of searching for you, but it doesn't matter now. We can leave."

"Hooray! To Republic City!" Twi yelled.

"Excellent idea! There are refugee bunkers down there that we could stay in until this Shadowbender matter closes up.

In her head, Twi was seeing more of parties and sightseeing. "Yeah… That's exactly why I chose there."

000

Reigo didn't need a ship. She easily shadow-swam over the ocean that separated the new Shadow Clan territory from the new Shadow Nation, formerly of the Fire.

When she reached the mainland, Reigo, along with two of her royal guards, rose out of the ground and began their ascent into New Zuko.

Because of faster production speed, the palace had been mostly rebuilt. It was of a different design than the old Fire Nation palace. It had the feel, size, and regal aura of one that an emperor would marvel at.

Reigo found Kaizu sitting on the bare palace's roof, sharp, grey eyes looking out at the black sky.

"Sister… What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be holding down the fort back at the base?" Kaizu asked without looking down from the sky.

"I should, but I put Da Kai in charge until I returned. I cam because of what I had heard about you."

"He told you something troubling?"

"Just that you were denying Mother's mandate."

"Stupid old fool." Kaizu murmured, finally looking at Reigo's perplexed expression.

"I mean Da Kai, not Mother. And I am not disobeying the mandate. I am ruling over the people as she said."

"A compassionate ruler is a weak ruler. Look at the past, Kaizu. Bumi was a poor ruler, Houja was a poor ruler, hell, the 47th Earth King was overthrown for his naïve compassion. Now, look at Ozai, Azulon, even Zuko. He didn't have the most iron grip in the world, but he was far from compassionate. He did what was right, at the right time."

"What's your point?"

"You know exactly what my point is. I have the right mind to seize your rule and send YOU back to garrison the territory. You've gotten soft, Kaizu."

"Listen here." Kaizu started, standing. Reigo had almost forgotten how much taller her younger brother was than her. "Once Kumori comes to seize the world and preserve the future, she can rule however she wants. I am not Ku- Hrm! I am not Mother. This is my nation now, and I'll rule it as I want to."

"Listen to yourself, Kaizu! You're behaving like a spoiled child! This is not you! Something has changed you, and I demand to know what it is!"

"It is none of your business!" Kaizu said, a little louder than he had wanted to. "But I must thank you for one thing: you've been the mirror I needed. I can see myself now; I can see what it is that has been altering me, and I know what to do to fix it. We're done talking."

Kaizu turned and walked to the steps that led back into the palace, but before he could exit, Reigo spoke up again.

"If I didn't know any better, Kaizu, I'd say that this is about a girl."

Kaizu paused for a moment, a moment longer than he should've. Reigo picked up on the struck nerve instantly.

"It is, isn't it? Don't tell me you've already forgotten what Mother told us."

"I haven't."

"Then tell me. What is one of the top things that we are NOT to be doing in this time period?"

"…Forming relation-"

"Forming relationships, exactly." Reigo interrupted, stepping in front of Kaizu. "It is because of that very rule that we now have a splinter running around this time, threatening to wipe us all from existence. Mother is considering activating the TSD is this problem is not resolved soon, and you know what kind of effect that may have on reality as we know it."

Kaizu said nothing, so Reigo continued.

"I don't know who she is, Kaizu, but if you don't end this now, I **WILL** find out, and I **WILL** end it myself."

And with that said, Reigo sunk into the ground and swam away, down the wall of the palace.

000

It was only minutes later when Kaizu stood, his mind blank, in front of a house. He knocked on the door and waited.

Nothing.

He knocked again and waited again. Still nothing.

He sighed in half-sadness, half-defeat, and was about to turn and walk away, but a voice, no, not a voice, THE voice, stopped him.

"Kaizu?"

The Shadow Lord turned to see who he was looking for: Miye. Her son and daughter stood beside her, helping to carry food.

"Kids, can you take the food and go in the house? I'll be there in a second." Miye whispered to her children. They nodded and took the rest of the food from their mother's hands. Miye opened the door and let them in, then closed it behind them.

"Miye, I'm so-"

"No, Kaizu, I'm the one who should be sorry." Miye interrupted. "What I did was stupid, and I don't blame you at all for leaving."

"And I shouldn't have left. I was just surprised and…and…"

"Scared?"

"Why would I be scared?"

"You're the Shadow Lord. You of all people should know how it is to be dragged down by relationships, especially with one such as me."

Kaizu's heart twinged. He actually was scared, but not for the reason that Miye thought.

"Listen, I didn't just come to right things between us." he said.

Miye gave a confused look, so Kaizu continued.

"It's complicated, and too hard to explain, but I think it would be best if we remain distant for the time being."

"Why? What's the matter?"

"I can't explain right now." Kaizu whispered, close to Miye's ear. "I fear that I may be being watched. But you must listen. Until I come to you saying its okay, stay in your house and keep your door locked."

Miye didn't ask any more of Kaizu and nodded, turning and walking back into her house. She turned back once to look at her Shadow Lord once more before shutting the door behind her.

000

Reigo frantically conjured a trans-temporal portal, having had a sudden epiphany just moments ago. She clenched her teeth as some of her strength leaked out of her from crossing the time stream. Her mother's hooded face appeared.

"What news do you- Where are you?" Kumori asked, frowning when she saw that there were buildings behind Reigo.

"That doesn't matter right now. I want to know the truth. No more riddles."

"What are you talking about?"

"I'm talking about my 'brother'. Who is Kaizu?"

"I don't follow. Explain."

"I've known Kaizu my entire life. We've grown up together, fought together, talked together constantly, but that is NOT my brother!"

"Of course he is; stop talking nonsense."

"Then why can't he Shadowbend, Mother? That was the first thing I noticed."

"There's more than one type of Shadowbending, Reigo. Kaizu happens to Shadowbend in the form of fire."

"Where does he get THAT from? Certainly not Father."

"He gets it from me. I am a Shadowbender. Kaizu is Shadowbending."

"Wrong, Mother. Do you remember the story of Azula's final days?"

Kumori clenched her teeth and squinted.

"You DO remember. Azula was a Firebender, through and through. Before she was captured, she could produce blue fire, but after her imprisonment, when she escaped, her fire and electricity turned black, just like Kaizu's. Was Azula a Shadowbender, then?"

Kumori was still silent.

"Kaizu is not a Shadowbender. He's a Firebender. You're not a Firebender, and Father was not a Firebender, so where does that leave Kaizu? And don't try to brush off my question with your 'all in due time' crap. I want answers, and I want them now! WHO IS KAIZU?"

Kumori was silent for a few moments.

"Where is he?"

"I don't know. Why?"

"Because it is imperative that he does not know the truth about his past. If Kaizu ever found out who he REALLY was, there's no doubt in my mind that it would alter the past, and in turn, the present."

Reigo's anger gave way to intrigue.

"It's true, Reigo. Kaizu is not your biological sibling. He is…"

**(A/N: Slow your roll, there, Kumori! You can't blow the roof off of his secret yet! That kills the suspense!**

**There's your cliffhanger. Do with it whatever you please. No, I mean it. Here's a little fun thing you could do, along with the A:RotS movie cast challenge. Try to finish Kumori's sentence with the craziest or most logical thing you could come up with for Kaizu's true identity. I dying *snicker* to hear what you have to say.**

**Happy Thanksgiving to all of you! I can't wait to stuff my face with TURKEY!**

**Still awaiting some ideas for future filler fodder, so don't be afraid to review with your ideas, streams of viewers who I KNOW are crammed with ideas for me that they'd love to spill!**

**I'm still on the fence about what my next filler will be, but once I know, you can be sure that I'm working day and night on it until it gets here, but until then, this is SH10, signing out!)**


	29. The Floating Prison

**(A/N: Welcome back! Did you miss me? ^^**

**Well, I couldn't think of any other fillers to distract you from the cut-off reveal of Kaizu's dirty little secret, so we're going to have to skip time a little bit and pick up with TeaMeiya at the Northern Water Tribe. Just a note: We're not going to find out what Kumori said to Reigo until a little bit later, but you ARE left with the crucial knowledge that Kaizu is not who he believes he is. **

**Something came to me, recently. Something that I had completely forgotten about, and that you may not remember, either. You'll see it in this chapter, and you'll know it when you read it. ;)**

**With that in mind, let us return to our intrepid adventurers.)**

It was almost a week later when TeaMeiya finally began to see the familiar icy glaciers of the North.

Ischi was the only one still awake, with the Bison's control safely stuck in auto piloting. She had laid some rocks out in front of her. She concentrated as hard as she could and strained her muscles with all of her might, but Ischi only managed to lift the small stones a few inches, and they didn't stay in the air for very long.

'What is wrong with me? Why can't I Earthbend?' Ischi asked herself stupidly. She knew the answer to her own question, but she didn't want to accept it. It terrified her to the point of vomiting every time she thought about her and Zuko's anniversary day, the day when she had betrayed him, unintentionally, but betrayal all the same, and for nothing at all. Zuko hadn't forgotten. He was leading her on to surprise her even further.

That same night, they had almost done it. They had almost went there. Ischi and Zuko were so close to intercourse that had her churning stomach not spoken, it would've been inevitable. Ischi had rushed to the bathroom with a swift 'I'm sorry!' and spilled her contents in the sink. She had been in the bathroom for almost a full ten minutes, shifting between vomiting and sobbing.

Zuko had assumed that she was crying because of her stomach pains, but he couldn't have been more wrong. The pain in Ischi's stomach was nothing compared to the pain in her heart and the pain in her mind, every time she thought about what had happened. Ischi couldn't even remember his name. It was all a blur to Ischi, and that's what made it even scarier.

How would I know if he was following me? How would I know he won't attack me again before we leave? How would I know he wouldn't attack my friends? These were the questions that raced through Ischi's head. These questions were the reason she couldn't Earthbend. As long as the rape stayed on her mind, Ischi was powerless.

Ischi gasped and threw her rocks back into her bag when she heard yawning. Kohi sat up and scratched her back.

"Hey, Ischi. When'd you wake up?" Kohi asked.

"About ten minutes ago." the Earth Princess lied. In actuality, Ischi had never gone to sleep. She only fell asleep twice during the entire trip to the North, once when she forced herself asleep for a few precious minutes of nightmare-clogged visions, and a second time when insomniatic fatigue knocked her unconscious for about twenty-five seconds.

"You sure? You look like you've been up for a while. You're always the last one to sleep and the first to wake up. That doesn't seem like a healthy combination."

"I know, and I'm sorry."

"Why? It's not a crime. It just seems weird."

"Weird? Weird how?" Ischi said, a little more frantic than she had wanted to sound.

"Like that kind of weird…" Kohi said, furling an eyebrow. "What's up with you, Ischi?"

"Nothing, nothing. I'm just a little tired."

"Well, don't go back to sleep now." Meiya groaned as she sat up and cracked her back. "We're here. Look."

Meiya looked down at the large city, and her eyes shadowed as she remembered the Northern Waterbender Massacre. On the other side of the icy mountain that framed the Northern Water Tribe was a massive cemetery. The inside of the city was no less depressing. Citizens were few and far between, and there was not a Waterbender to be found. Every person had the same wary fear on their faces, in their eyes, and in their body language. No one felt safe.

TeaMeiya wasn't welcomed. When they landed and began their walk toward the icy temple in the farthest reach of the city, they received no more than a passing glance, and even those didn't seem friendly.

The chieftain's temple looked so ominous and bleak, even more so on the inside, but it was something else on the inside of the temple that captured Meiya and Khole's attention.

There was a young man sitting in the chieftain's circle. He stood when he saw that he had visitors. The boy's face was just as morose and melancholy as those of the citizens.

"Well, on the list of things I wasn't expecting today, a visit from the Avatar and friends was pretty high up there." he said.

"Greetings." Meiya said, bowing in respect. "You are the chieftain, yes?"

"I am now. The previous chieftain, my father, was killed in the massacre."

"But to assume such a position at such a young, unguided age? Aren't there any scholars or teachers that can help lead you to lead these troubled people?"

"There is one personal advisor of my father's still alive; the only non-Waterbender. Now, I assume you have come to see how the tribe is holding up after the attack? Our mood may not be the brightest, but my people are as strong as they've ever been."

"That is excellent news to hear, chieftain, but that is not the whole reason we are here. We must take the Spirit Koi back to the Southern Water Tribe, in order to restore Waterbending." Meiya said.

"I'm sorry, but I cannot allow that. The Spirit Koi are the only items of hope left for our Tribe, and if they leave, we'll lose what little remaining moral we have left." Meiya expected the chieftain to say.

"If it's to preserve our bending, we wouldn't be happier to give the Spirit Koi to our sister Tribe. Do they have a Spirit Oasis?" the chieftain really said, which surprised Meiya.

"Yes we do. It was only recently discovered." Khole said, seeing that Meiya was unable to speak.

"Excellent. I will go and retrieve them."

"Did that just happen? Did something just come easily to us?" Meiya asked.

"Maybe our luck is finally beginning to change. Things will just naturally get easier as we get stronger and you learn your bending." Zuko said.

"Don't get thoughtful yet. Something bad is about to happen."

"Really? How can you tell?"

"Because nothing ever comes easy for us. In our line of work, if things take an easy turn for us, we're either doing something wrong, or something really, really bad is about to happen."

"You're being superstitious. This is just a break from all the death and destruction everywhere else. It's not a good turn, just a little break.

"I'm not crazy, I tell you! My Avatar senses are tingling! Something is very wrong. I don't know what it is, but it's upsetting the balance, and as soon as we get Waterbending back, we have to investigate."

Not long after she had said this, the chieftain came back, carrying the Spirit Koi in a large glass sphere with one hole in the top. The hole had tapered edges, so it looked like it stuck out from the rest of the sphere.

"What's that thing? We don't have things like that in the Air Temple." Kohi asked.

"We call it a fish bowl. It was a peace offering from the Fire Nation after the War ended. It's very convenient for carrying and observing various fish species."

"I hope you don't think this is a stupid question, but how does it…work?" Meiya asked.

"Oh, it's not a machine. It's just glass that was melted, molded, and frozen again. The hole in the top is to give the fish food and to supply the water with more air. Sealing that would kill the fish in a matter of minutes."

"Well, thank you for this, and the information. We must be going now."

"The Northern Water Tribe thanks you, as well, for your help in restoring our way of life." the chieftain said as TeaMeiya began to leave.

000

"It's been about three days, I think, Meiya, and nothing bad has happened yet." Zuko said as Meiya sat crossly over the controls of the Sky Bison, her cloak sitting, folded, next to her. Perspiration clung to her skin and face, causing her to squint.

"I'm telling you, all the signs are here. Notice that I'm the only one sweating. I don't sweat, Zuko."

"Everybody sweats, Meiya. It's a natural bodily function."

"Everybody ELSE sweats. I don't. And another thing. I've been having weird nightmares of large shadows and grinding, groaning metal. Does that sound like something that says that everything's okay? When the Avatar has nightmares, something's ALWAYS wr-"

Before Meiya could finish her sentence, a ball of fire flew past the Sky Bison, and the heat caused a dry section of the wooden airship to begin to burn.

Meiya looked over the edge of her lighted craft and gasped, not at the fire, but at what caused the fire.

There, cutting through the ocean like butter, was a giant ship, larger than any ship ever seen by anyone before. As it sliced through the waves, an ominous groaning sound seemed to rise from the bowels of the interior.

The spire-like metal mast that sat atop the control tower of the ship was so tall that it appeared to cut through the clouds, and a darkened sun mural was half-painted, half-scratched onto the side, along with the ship's name.

"The S.S Chaos…" Zuko read.

"I TOLD you! Why does nobody listen to the Avatar?" Meiya screamed, waving her hand and causing a gust of wind to extinguish the flames. "Now let's waste this floating heap!"

"Do you see how huge that thing is? We can't fight that!" Kohi protested.

"Well, we're not getting away from it. That thing is fast, too! Maybe we can try to use wind pressure to capsize it. I'll bring us down."

Meiya avoided the flying balls of fire and brought her airship down to the side of the massive vessel, sticking the controls in autopilot.

"Come on, Kohi. Let's do what we can!" Meiya said, rearing back with Kohi and firing a big gust of wind at the side of the ship. As much wind as they mustered, the ship didn't even move.

"Zuko, try to melt its hull!" Meiya commanded.

Zuko nodded and fired a powerful blast of fire at the side of the ship, when the smoke cleared, there was only a ring of ash around where Zuko fired.

All of a sudden, panels on the side of the ship began to open up, and strange machines projected from them. The machines pointed themselves at the Sky Bison and fired superheated shrapnel at its passengers. If one of the small pieces of metal even grazed their skin, they would scream out in severe pain.

"We've got to fall back!" Meiya yelled, pulling the Bison out of autopilot and rearing the throttle back, causing the Bison to shoot into the sky.

"We're out of options! Wait… That's it! Ischi, you have to Metalbend it!"

"What?" Ischi gasped, a new fearfulness rising up in her chest.

"It's the only chance we have to take it down! Can you Metalbend from far away?"

"No, I can't." Ischi lied. "I have to be either touching it or within very close proximity of it."

"Darn it! Those things that shoot stuff at us won't let us get in close! We're out of plans!"

Ischi was relieved, terrified, and ashamed, all at the same time. She might have really helped to destroy that ship. If she wasn't so weak at this moment.

Her relief gave way to anger.

She could've saved them all if she had been less of a stupid coward.

Her fear gave way to anger.

And she WOULD'VE at least done a LITTLE something if she didn't let this damn rape hang over her head!

Finally, her shame turned into anger, and with a bone-chilling scream, Ischi pushed both of her hands at the gargantuan warship, used Metalbending to give it a giant shove that threatened to capsize it.

With a sweep of her hand, all of the shrapnel-firing machines ripped themselves from the hull and flew into the ocean

An unnatural churning, whirring sound rose from the center of the ship, and all of a sudden, a giant machine began to emerge, spinning around so that the barrel pointed in the general area of the Sky Bison.

"They're going to kill us! We're going to die!" Kohi screamed, jumping into the storage hull.

"Don't worry!" Ischi yelled angrily. "I can Metalbend whatever stupid piece of rock or metal they fire from that thing!"

She geared up to deflect the projectile, but when the machine fired, it was nothing made of metal or rock. A giant cloud of electrified shadow fired from the machine, surrounding the Sky Bison. The cloud had many effects. One end of the cloud stayed within the barrel of the cannon. The blown-up end stopped the Sky Bison cold and began to hurt its passengers severely. The electricity coursing through their bodies eventually dropped all of them unconscious. Ischi was the last one to pass out, and she was able to watch as the seemingly living cloud began to retract into the barrel, and once the Sky Bison had disappeared into the machine, she finally found sleep.

000

About an hour after her talk with Kumori, Reigo had intended to be back at her camp, thinking hard about what she had heard, but instead, she was running through the forests around the perimeter of a nearby Earth Kingdom city. She was running toward something, chasing something to be specific. Chasing someONE to be even more specific.

"You knew you couldn't hide forever! Stop running and surrender!"

The person she was chasing, who wasn't too far ahead, responded with a swift blast of fire, which Reigo dispelled with a rising curtain of shadows.

Reigo sunk into the ground and began to shadow swim, picking up speed. From the shadows, the person she was chasing looked behind her to see nothing, so she naively slowed down, just enough for Reigo to shadow-sprint behind her and leaped out of the ground, tackling her and throwing her long sliver hair out of her hood.

But Reigo's opponent had better reflexes than she had first guessed. In an instant, the masked person flipped onto her hand and smashed her back into a tree, jarring Reigo off.

"There's no use playing around with you. Unlike Meiya and the others, you're an actual threat to me." Reigo said, flexing her hand into a claw. Black power began to surround her palm, shaping itself into a torrential ball of shadow. Reigo reared back and threw the ball at her opponent.

The masked girl shifted to one side, avoiding the ball of shadow and flinching as it exploded in an inky black cloud of smoke.

Reigo clenched her fist and the inky cloud compressed into the shadow ball again, and with a wrench of her arm, the ball flew into the masked girl's back, exploding and causing her to fall forward.

"Now, you must die!" Reigo yelled, grabbing the girl's neck and lifting her into the air. Her mask dropped from her face, revealing that the girl was young, about as young as a preteen, but despite this, Reigo's face did not change. She raised her hand and shaped sharp claws onto her fingertips.

The girl breathed in before puffing up her cheeks. A whooshing sound was muffled in her mouth before she blew out a thick cloud of real smoke at Reigo. The smoke flew right into her mouth and eyes, blinding her and causing her to cough and gag, releasing her opponent, who shrunk away into the shadow of the smoke.

Reigo, unable to do anything about the suffocating smog, fell to her knees, crawling out to the forest line and attempting to clear the smoke out of her lungs. She didn't bother looking around after she had composed herself; She knew that the girl was long gone.

"Damn it all!" Reigo yelled at the top of her lungs, causing every shadow around her to tremble and quiver.

She wiped the tears from her eyes and clenched her fists.

"They're just from the smoke. They're just from the smoke." she told herself, fighting back the other 'smoke-induced' tears that were collecting.

She had never failed a mission like this. She had never failed a mission so simple.

000

Zuko groaned as he woke. He sat in a solitary cell, but little did he know that he was in the lowest regions of the ship. An eerie red light shone above him. In fact, the entire cell block glowed red with fire that was contained in sanded glass bowls above his head.

Zuko shook his head at the stupidity of the guards for not disabling him from Firebending, until he tried it on the cell door, only to find out that not a scorch mark lay on the door once he was finished. Zuko was flabbergasted, until he felt the cell door.

"Carbon…" he said to himself. Zuko thought hard about what he could do. Somehow, his mind took him back to school at the New Zuko Academy for Young Men, and his writing instruments. The tips were made out of a thin wand of soft carbon, protected by a thicker casing of wood.

"Please, let this be the soft kind of carbon…" Zuko hoped, turning his back to the door before whipping around and giving the door a solid kick. A loud, solid kick.

"Keep it down in there!" yelled a guard from where Zuko couldn't see.

He cursed silently as he realized that he wasn't alone, and that escape would be meaningless if he was just captured again afterwards. He looked around, seeing nothing that could possibly help him. With nothing else to do, Zuko sat in his cell and waited for one of the others to come and rescue him.

Zuko sighed as he remembered the novels he read about the gallant hero cutting down evil beings left and right to rescue his damsel in distress. Now he knew what the damsel felt like.

000

Kohi sat in frozen fear in her cell, on the floor just below the deck of the ship. The lights above her head, like every other light in the gigantic ship, were glowing bright red. She had realized when she had woken up that she and the others had been separated. She had already tried to open the unbendable carbon door with force. She had already heard the frightening voice of the guard that was stationed by her cell. She had already realized that she was helpless, unless someone else could free themselves and escape. Kohi hoped that it was soon, because she couldn't stand being in one place for so long!

000

Meiya was not in the same position as the others. Meiya lay, bound, gagged, chained, and face down on the floor of the captain's quarters. There were bruises and bloody pools all over her body. Right outside the door, the unconscious, or dead, bodies of Shadowbenders and Bender Elites lay all around, and the metallic walls of the ship were severely damaged from Airbending.

Torn-up ribbons of Meiya's clothes were also strewn all over the halls, so much so that the encumbered Avatar laid basically naked on the metal floor. Enough of her underclothing remained intact to preserve what was left of her dignity, just barely.

"I have to admit, I didn't think you'd be able to put up THAT much of a fight, Avatar." the captain of the S.S Chaos said calmly, his scratchy voice seeming to rip the air apart. "But, now that you're done fighting, I don't know what to do with you. I could ask the commander what she would like for me to do, but I don't feel comfortable with you here alone. For that matter, I don't really feel comfortable leaving you with someone else, either. You've already injured or killed enough of my personnel."

As he said this, the captain walked up to Meiya and grabbed her by the shoulder, causing her to fall into another chaotic fit of spasms and muffled screams as Meiya was hoisted into the air and planted on her feet, walking her out of the door. Now that she was vertical, gravity plus torn, loose underclothing equaled Meiya's hell.

She had to cross her legs to keep the lower half of her clothes on her dignified regions, and her budding, adolescent, all-too-female chest had to be poked out to tighten her upper clothing. And on top of that, she was sweating, and the extra water weight was not helping her current situation.

At this point, Meiya might've been better off sucking up her pride and exposing herself for the sake of comfort and self-humility, but Meiya couldn't bring herself to do it. Embarrassment was a fairly new thing for her. She had only been embarrassed one other time, when Kohi walked in on Meiya secretly enjoying herself in the Windy Rock.

Meiya wondered why she was thinking about such things, until she remembered that she was virtually naked and wanted to think about something else as she was paraded through the halls like the display she pretty much was.

Meiya and the captain stopped at a metal door. The door was opened and Meiya was pushed inside.

Inside the room was a strange ornament: a mid-length thick stick jutting from the floor, holding a ring on its end.

The captain walked up to the ring pole and began to Shadowbend, causing a pool of blackness to form within the ring.

The captain waited for a few seconds, before smiling and pushing forward. The shadow pool began to vibrate, before Reigo's dread-struck face appeared.

"What do you want, Captain Oro? I don't have time for just anything."

"See for yourself." Oro said, pointing at Meiya's kneeling, shame-faced form.

"Hm… You've captured Meiya, I see. But why is she in such a state? You haven't been-"

"Never, my lady. This is just a child. None of my men would ever do her any carnal harm. She was a feisty little kit. We had to restrain her, and her clothes were lost in the crossfire."

Meiya wanted so badly to stand and tackle the man for what he was saying about her, but standing would causing her clothing to fall off, and once she was standing, what would she do in her bound-and-gagged state?

"I have contacted you to ask what you would like me to do with her?"

"Keep her locked away until I can come aboard the ship and collect her. And Captain?"

"Yes, milady?"

"Don't let me come onto the ship and find out that the Avatar has escaped. If I do… Just don't let it happen. Do you understand me?"

"Y-Yes, ma'am." Oro said, bowing as the image disappeared.

Minutes later, Meiya was dressed in a small Airbender Elite uniform and placed in a carbon cell, where several guards were stationed at her door.

Meiya looked around and considered her options. She could try to use Airbending to break the carbon door, or break it with force, but if she did, the guards would be on her too quickly for her to fight back…

The only other option she could think of was waiting for her friends to come and rescue her. Meiya hated those stupid 'damsel in distress' stories that make women seem helpless, because Meiya could never relate. Now that she was literally the damsel in distress, Meiya's humble pie was served cold.

**(A/N: And that's the end of this chapter! This situation doesn't look good for TeaMeiya at the moment. Can they escape the giant metal horror called the S.S Chaos? Will they destroy it on the way? Will Meiya actually be delivered to Reigo? So many questions, so many answers, next chapter! And until then, this is SH10, signing out!**


	30. Holiday Memories

**(A/N: Hello, readers! Today, I got a great idea for a filler that we can do without getting away from the main plot. It answers a lot of questions about our heroes' pasts. Can you guess what it's about? Here's a hint: It's about Christmas. Can you guess yet? If you can't, don't worry about it, I'm sure you'll figure it out as you read my obligatory Christmas-themed chapter.**

**Note: This is actually my agent's idea. Her name is Mind, and she's very attached to me. I, for one, think I'm paying her way too much, but she does do a good job, so I keep her paycheck nice and high. I think I should give Mind a Christmas bonus for all of her hard work, and a long break, because she is POOPED!**

**That being said, this chapter and the next will be the last chapters for this year! Mind needs a break, my fingers need a break, and I need a break from the stress of not having to keep you story-hungry monsters waiting for a new chapter. TA, I'm talking to you, and you know why. *dagger stare***

**Now, enough of my babbling! Let's get to it, shall we?)**

As Zuko sat in relative silence, a sneeze escaping his itchy nose every now and then, he looked out of his small, barred window, and was surprised to see that it was snowing. This was a surprising sight for Zuko, because he had only seen snow twice in the Fire Nation, and they days he saw the snow were far between each other. The fluffy white powder that fell from the sky reminded him of Yuletide, the season of gift-giving for the Fire Nation. It specifically reminded him of his favorite day in his life, the day of his tenth Yuletide.

000

The then-familiar morning sun struck a ten-year old Zuko's face as he stirred. He sat up in his giant bed and climbed out, walking sleepily to his bathroom.

After showering, brushing his teeth, and combing his hair, Zuko threw some clothes on and ran out of his room, now awakened enough to be excited about what day it was today.

"Mother!" Zuko yelled, seeing Ara down the hall. He bolted toward her at full speed, leaping into her arms.

"Oh, Zuko! Someone's excited for Yuletide, isn't he? Well, hold in that excitement, because this year, we got the entire family something extra special. Come on." Ara said to Zuko, putting him down and taking his hand.

He was led into the living room, where brightly decorated Yuletide gifts sat around a towering pine that was chopped down and hauled into the house just for the occasion.

Zuko stared at and admired all of the presents. But there was one in particular that caught his attention. It was big and bright red, with cut-out holes in its sides. Occasionally, the box would shift slightly, so Zuko knew for sure that something alive was in there.

"You can't open this one yet, Zuko." Houja said, sitting nearby. "This one is a big surprise. We're saving that one for last.

Zuko nodded and proceeded to open the rest of his gifts. He received everything he had asked for and thanked his parents sincerely, but Zuko just couldn't focus a\on anything other than the giant present in the corner. It was about thirty minutes later when every other gift was unwrapped, and Zuko would've lost his mind if he didn't open that gift, and his parents could see that.

"Are you ready, Zuko? Go ahead and take the bow off." Ara encouraged, giving Zuko a gentle push toward the gift. With a wary, curious hand, Zuko reached up and clutched the golden bow that adorned the gifted, tugging it until it unraveled and dropped to the floor with a jingle. Zuko looked at the ribbon and saw the bells that were on it. He paid it no mind and reached for the top of the box, but as soon as he touched it-

"SURPRISE!" yelled two completely unfamiliar girl voices as the top of the present exploded.

Zuko screamed and fell backwards, cowering. He opened his eyes and saw two more pairs staring back at him inside the gift he had opened. There were two little girls inside the package. They both looked so much alike, except for the gift ribbons on their heads. The girl on the left had a red ribbon, and the girl on the right had a white one.

"Did we scare you?" the blue-ribbon girl asked.

"Well, duh, we scared him. Did you hear how he screamed?" the red-ribbon girl said to her twin.

"Zuko," Ara said, walking up to the presents and lifting the two girls out of the box. "I'd like you to meet Twi." she said as she patted the red-ribbon girl's head.

"And Su Li." she finished, patting the blue-ribbon girl's head. "These are going to be your new sisters."

Zuko still couldn't speak because of his fright, but his expression told a whole story that wasn't hard for his parents to read. But before they could speak up, the twins explained for them.

"Our great-grandmother knew your great-grandfather as children, and both of our families are good friends with each other. In fact, your parents are our godparents." Twi began.

"Recently, our mother died, and our father moved away when we were little. We don't have any other direct relatives here in New Zuko, so your parents offered to adopt us. We're siblings now! Surprise!" Su Li finished.

"W-Well, it's nice to meet you two." Zuko said shyly, reaching out his hands for both twins to shake. The twins, however, misinterpreted the gesture as a hug, and proceeded to glomp their new brother, sending him to the ground in a cascade of girl's laughter.

000

Zuko sighed as he reminisced about his past. It was the only thing he could do to distract himself from his current situation. He stood in his place for hours, lost within his own mind, only moving from his place for a moment to grab the leftovers that slid through the bars of his cell.

000

Khole took her last bite of scraps that sat on her tray, watching the snow outside the window. It was nothing new for her. The snow she had been seeing at home on a regular basis was actually a lot more violent than this. What got Khole thinking was actually the lack of snow. Every year, during the Noeru Week, the wind patterns shifted, and the snow fell slower. This is how those in the South could tell what time of year it was.

It was actually last year, on Khole's thirteenth Noeru morning, that her entire life changed…

000

Noeru for the Northern and Southern Water Tribe didn't have anything to do with gifts, since there weren't many gifts to be given. Noeru was actually about the coming together of friends and family for a feast. The actual day of Noeru was also the day that the newest Waterbending Avatar would be revealed and sent on his or her way to begin Earthbending training.

Last year, after the feast, Rodik asked to speak to Khole, who didn't know what to expect.

"Khole, you have special abilities, abilities that regular Waterbenders, or even Benders themselves could only dream of possessing. You know that, right?" Rodik asked her.

"Yeah, I can make easy friend with animals by touching them. I thought that just meant that they liked me." Khole said.

Rodik shook his head. "When you touch animals, that's when your powers activate. Your energies interact with the energy of animals, as if they're one in the same. Khole, I think I can say with much confidence that you are the first natural-born Energybender in Water Tribe history. You're familiar with the tales of the Energybenders, right?"

"Yeah. They were alive before conventional Bending was established by the first Avatar. They were taught by the Lion Turtles, who were alive since the Great Beginning. You mean, I'm one of those guys?"

"Yes, Khole. You have a power within you that may be stronger than any type of bending that could rise against you. I called you to ask if you would like me to train you to master this power."

"Would I? Of course! I'd love to master Energybending, but how would you teach me if you're not an Energybender yourself?"

"Oh, I'm an Energybender, but I'm not a natural-born Energybender. My bending was taught to me by Avatar Aang."

"Cool! So how can you help me to master Energybending?"

"Beast Pacification." Rodik said, to which Khole squinted, furled her eyebrows, and tilted her head to one side.

"The art of using Energybending to alter the personality patterns of animals and essentially befriend them instantly. It's not mind control, for the beasts still have free will. And before you ask how it could help you with Energybending, like using it for battle, obviously, the larger and stronger beasts you learn to pacify, the more powerful your Energybending will have become."

"This all sounds so cool, but I don't know if my mom will-"

"I've already spoken to Kandice. She approves of me taking you on as my student."

"Yes!" Khole squeaked, leaping into the air. "When do I start?"

"Immediately. Come with me and I'll explain the mechanics behind your Energybending powers." Rodik said, taking Khole by the arm and proceeding to talk her ear off.

000

Though she knew it was a pro-flashback cliché, Khole couldn't help but sigh as the year-old memories danced in her head, like sugarplums. It was all she could do to prevent herself from focusing on her current position.

000

Kohi enjoyed viewing the bright side of things. In this case, it was the only thing keeping her from losing her mind and killing herself in this claustrophobic cell. Without fail, her 'good thoughts theory' brought her to memories of Kerrse. It was similar to the Water Tribe traditional Noeru feast, but Kerrse was more of a festival. Fires were lit, and the torches were surrounded with colored paper, so it glowed a variety of different colors, from dark red to bright green.

000

Two young girls of seven years walked on the road of the outdoor portion of the temple, holding hands and admiring the sights and bright colors. Both had brown hair and stormy grey eyes, but their facial features and height differed.

"Aren't all the pretty colors pretty, Suni?" Kohi asked with her younger, squeakier voice.

"Yeah." Suni said, inwardly wishing that Meiya would quit being a scrooge and come out to enjoy the festivities, but as always, she cooped herself up in the Windy Rock, meditating away.

Suni, her and Meiya's father, Naga, and the elders were the only ones who knew that Meiya was the Avatar. Meiya figured it out herself at one point, and from that moment on, her entire persona changed. She became a much more serious person and spent her days meditating and perfecting her craft. She had assumed that she might as well have Airbending down pat by the time she leaves to start Waterbending.

"You there, Suni?" Kohi asked, snapping her out of her thoughts.

"Oh! Yeah, sorry. I was just spacing out."

"As always!" Kohi joked, lightly pushing her friend on the arm. "Ooh! Look, Suni! It's snowing!"

The brunette girl raised her head, her eyes widened as she watched the fluffy white sheet descend upon the temple. Kohi stuck her tongue out, giggling as the cold flakes tickled her face and mouth.

"The world is so perfect, isn't it? I wish it could be like this forever." Suni said.

"Now, you know that can't be true. If the world stayed perfect. We wouldn't have a cool, awesome Avatar to help defend it in the coolest way possible. Speaking of which, do you think that the next Airbending Avatar will come from this temple?" Kohi said, sounding like a sage at first, then reverting back to the excitable seven-year old that she really was.

"I have a pretty good feeling…" Suni said, staring back up at the sky with a smile painted on her face.

000

'Now everything's changed.' Kohi thought. 'Everything's too different. I wish the whole world could just jump back in time to that day and just stay there.'

And, unknowingly egging on a classic cliché, Kohi sighed and returned to searching her mind for other happy thoughts to cling to.

000

Meiya happened to be thinking the same thing as Kohi was, about Kerrse. But her attitude was much different than Kohi's.

'I hate this time of year…' Meiya thought crossly, looking at the snow outside. 'I hate Kerrse. Everybody is happy but me.'

With these negative thoughts fresh in her head, Meiya laid down on the floor and closed her eyes.

"Do you really believe that, Meiya?" asked a familiar voice.

Meiya sat up with a gasp, looking around. Her eyes rested on a transparent Aang, who stood in one corner with a sad look on his face.

"What do you want?"

"Somebody's cross. What are you mad about, Meiya?"

"You heard me already. I hate that everybody but me can be happy during this festive season. It makes me sick!"

"Oh, Meiya, Meiya, Meiya. If you were using common sense, you'd see that what you're saying couldn't sound more far-fetched and stupid."

"If you've just come here to make me feel worse, thanks, but I don't need that right now."

"I've come to help, Meiya. I'm your spirit guide, like Roku was for me. I have to warn you, though. My way of 'helping' is a little more extreme than Roku's."

Meiya raised an eyebrow.

"You remember the three friends I said would help me to help you? Korra, Bo Tan, and Hou? Well, each one of them is going to come and visit you, and show you how inaccurate your philosophy is. Good luck."

And with that, Aang faded away.

"Good luck? What do you mean 'good luck'?" Meiya asked.

It was minutes later before the weird stuff started happening.

Meiya was leaning against the wall, when all of a sudden, Korra spontaneously appeared in a flash of light.

"Hello, Meiya."

"Is this my first visit, finally? Alright, let's get this over with. Show me how I'm wrong. Show me someone else who feels crummy during Kerrse."

"First off, let's take a look at yourself, Meiya."

Before Meiya could say anything, Korra took her hand and both women began to float. Meiya became transparent as well.

At an unprecedented speed, Meiya and Korra began to zoom through the walls of the ship, until they were outside of it and rapidly flying away from it.

"Where are you taking me?" Meiya screamed as loud as she could, which was hard to do with most of the air leaving her body as her mouth opened.

Another several seconds passed, with their speed increasing with each one. All of a sudden, the two Avatars came to a sudden halt, jarring Meiya forward and shifting all of her internal organs.

The first thing Meiya noticed was the sun shining in the sky.

"You brought me back to the past, didn't you?"

"That's correct. This time period is when you were ten years old. Look."

Korra pointed at the Windy Rock, sitting in the distance.

"My old hangout? What about it?"

Korra sighed and took Meiya inside the rock.

"Do you see now?"

Meiya stared at what Korra pointed at. It was her. A younger her.

As Meiya continued to stare at her younger self, she noticed a small tear rolling down her face.

"Wait… What's happening?" Meiya asked as a tear rolled down her own face.

"I'm allowing you to feel what your younger self is feeling: sadness. Emptiness. Loneliness."

"What is this proving? This is only reinforcing my thoughts of Kerrse."

"I'd like for you to hold on to the feelings that were just projected to you. You'll see why I've shown you this when the time comes." Korra said, releasing Meiya's hand. As soon as that happened, Meiya began to fly backwards, seemingly faster than she had flown when she arrived.

Meiya landed back into her time and reality with a gasp.

"Hello, young Avatar."

Meiya turned and saw the same middle-aged man that she had met in her mind.

"Bo Tan. Hold on! Hold on! I know I've seen this somewhere before! This was in some stupid Kerrse storybook they force us to listen to. Korra just took me into the past, and now you're going to show me something in the present, then Hou will take me to the future, right?"

"That's the gist of it, yes."

"This was all Aang's idea, wasn't it? It makes sense that he would use a story that he's heard before AND can make a great example of."

"Again, correct."

"Well, what are you waiting for? Show me what you want to show me. Show me ONE person who's not even TRYING to be happy right at this moment."

"One person? I can show you four."

Bo Tan took Meiya's hand and once again, she became transparent. Both Avatars began to float.

Bo Tan floated much slower than Korra did, which was perfectly fine with Meiya.

They floated to the lowest part of the ship, until they came to a red-lighted cell.

Meiya's eyes widened when she saw who was inside, sulking as he looked outside the window.

"Zuko…"

"Bo Tan gave her little time to look. He took her a little higher into the ship, to a different cell. Khole was sitting in a similar sad position.

Before Meiya could open her mouth, Bo Tan took her up even higher in the ship.

"Ischi, too." Meiya said silently, watching the tears fall down her friend's cheeks.

"Hold on, it gets better." Bo Tan said, bringing Meiya up near her cell. Kohi looked almost to the point of suicide. She had an almost crazed look on her face, and crusted marks sat under her eyes. There was no doubt that she had been crying.

"All of my friends…"

"You said you wanted to see someone else who wasn't happy during this time. You got your wish." Bo Tan said, taking Meiya back up to her cell. "But if you're still skeptical, Hou will give you some extra insight."

And with that final ominous message, Bo Tan released Meiya, causing her to drop to the ground.

Meiya looked around for Hou, but it wasn't until many minutes later that he arrived.

"Avatar Meiya."

She jumped at the elderly voice behind her.

"Aang personally didn't want to show you this yet, but he feels it's the only way for you to get back into your proper perspective." the old Firebender said, pointing one finger at a nearby wall. The bricks on the wall slowly began to 'age' before Meiya's eyes, cracking and rotting, until they were reduced to dust. What was left was a gaping hole of darkness.

Hou took Meiya's hand and led her into the hole, and when Meiya had entered the new world, she couldn't speak at all.

It was a wasteland. The sky was filled with dark, evil clouds, and the city below was in ruins. The moon looked old and worn in the sky.

"You must be familiar with the old Kerrse story. When the selfish-hearted old sage was taken into the future by his personal spooks, he was shown his own desecrated grave."

"Y-Yeah?" Meiya asked, no longer having the will to defy the truth.

Hou pointed to his left without looking. Meiya slowly turned her head, and she screamed at what she saw.

Three graves sat in front of her. Each one had an old, worn headstone, with one name on each.

"Zuko… Kohi… Khole… NO! Why?" Meiya yelled in horror.

"We're not through yet, young one. Come." Hou said, opening another rotting portal out of the thin air.

Hou and Meiya stepped into it, and they stepped into an old house, with three women and one young man standing inside, talking to another older man.

"Mrs. Ischi." the man started.

"T-That's Ischi?"

"It is. Twenty years from today."

"Yes, soldier? What do you have to report from the front line?"

"Nothing good, madam. I was the only one that I know of who escaped."

"What? What of my husband?"

"I wish I could say that I didn't see it with my own eyes… I wish that I could tell you that there was some hope… The commander has fallen. Kumori has killed him."

Ischi didn't let him finish. As soon as she heard 'fallen', she cried out into the sky, falling backwards into the chair behind her. The other women in the house couldn't hold back their tears. The young man dropped his head and darkened his eyes, his lips quivering.

Ischi turned her head, wiping her eyes for just enough of a second to see that snow was beginning to fall. The fact that the outside could seem so peaceful, while her insides were TORN to pieces only made her grieve more.

"Who could've done this?" Meiya's shaky voice whispered.

"You will learn in due time. All happens in due time, young Avatar." Hou said.

Meiya turned to look at Hou, but gasped when she saw that he was gone.

"Hou? Avatar Hou, where'd you go? How do I get out? Hou! Come back, please! I don't want to stay here! I've seen my errors! Please, Hou! I've learned my lesson, please!"

Meiya began to cry. She dropped to her knees and buried her head in her hands.

"I told you that I'm extreme, Meiya." Aang's voice said. Meiya was unable to open her eyes to see where the voice came from. "Now wake up. Wake up, Meiya… Wake… up…"

Meiya's eyes snapped open and she sat straight up in a cold sweat. She was laying in the same position she was when she laid her head down the first time, before Aang disturbed her.

With her new insight, Meiya was once again served her humble pie. But inside, she knew that she had bettered herself because of it.

000

Ischi felt a chill fall down her spine as she sat in tears on the floor of her cell. She thought that she felt someone watching her for a moment, but the feeling subsided as quickly as it came on.

Ischi looked again outside at the falling cottony crystals as they lazily drifted past the ship without a care in the world. It reminded Ischi of the Yuletide season, a holiday that the Earth Kingdom shared with the Fire Nation. Ischi remembered her favorite Yuletide morning fondly.

000

It was a cool, snowy Yuletide day that day. Ischi and her parents had already opened all of their gifts and given their fair share of Yuletide cheer to the rest of the citizens, but no good thing could last forever. There was business that day. The Fire Lord and the Earth King had an urgent economical meeting that absolutely could not be rescheduled, so everything got hectic by that afternoon. Since the national embassies were being renovated, the diplomatic meeting had to be held at the Earth palace.

A younger Ischi, about fourteen years old, walked on her home's courtyard, exhausted from having to maneuver past diplomats from both the Fire Nation and the Earth Kingdom. All she wanted to do was get to her room and just collapse.

Ischi was snapped out of her thoughts by a wall of cloth. She and the person she hit fell to the ground.

"I'm so sorry! Are you okay?" Ischi asked as she began to stand. She stopped when she saw a hand reaching down to help her up.

"I'm the one who should be sorry." the young man said as he helped Ischi to her feet.

"Thanks… What's your name?" Ischi asked, unable to keep from staring into the boy's sharp, golden-amber eyes.

"Zuko, the second. Son of Fire Lord Houja. And yours?"

"Eeeee…." Ischi squeaked, gasped and covering her mouth.

"It's alright; take your time." Zuko laughed.

"S-Sorry. My name is Ischi Bei Fong, daughter of Earth King Bure. I get a little shy around… people like you."

"Oh? And what kind of person am I?"

"The… nice, handsome kind."

"Why, thank you. Were you headed somewhere?"

"Just to my room to sulk, but do you know someplace better I could be?"

"With me, at the Inner Circle Café. Interested? I'm not scheduled to be anywhere right now."

"That'd be nice." Ischi said with a smile, turning and walking with Zuko toward the Inner Circle.

000

Ischi clung to those sweet memories, then had a sudden epiphany that, in hindsight, she probably should've had hours ago. She won't be able to make any more of those sweet memories if she's cooped up in here.

She had since regained her confidence in herself after seeing herself Metalbend the ship. So much confidence welled up in her that the rape was basically a distant memory, so long as that confidence remained at the forefront of her thoughts. And with that confidence right where it should be, Ischi used her raw strength to smash the carbon cell wall and pummel the guards that came to subdue her.

Ischi looked to her left and her right, then began to run. She had given herself a mission. She had become her own personal Avatar: attempting to put everything back in its place. With her new mission accepted, Ischi began to storm through the halls of the ship, on her quest to liberate her friends, her friend/soon-to-be-student, and her man.

**(A/N: Hoo, boy, am I tired! I've been typing and brainstorming nonstop… I don't even feel like doing this Author's Note, but I'm going to force myself to!**

**The next chapter, Breakout, will be the last one for the year, then A:ROTS will be taking a brief hiatus until mid-January, because I need a BREAK!**

**And please, for the love of all that is pure and sacred… DON'T LET ME FORGET ABOUT THIS STORY! I am chronically forgetful, and if I'm away from something for too long, I will begin to neglect it. It has happened with three good stories, two of my brothers and one of mine. Don't let this story die… Please?**

**And one more thing. Has anyone here ever heard of a reviewer know as ClanCrusher? He's a professional who reviewed my brother's first FF, and BOY was it scorchingly harsh!**

**Now, I'm not asking anyone to flame my story on a forum, but I am asking if anyone would like to give my story an all-around breakdown review of the characters, storyline, and plot devices. Gotta warn you beforehand: those kind of reviews, otherwise known as 'real' reviews, are lengthy, and if you need a general idea of what they should look like, check out ClanCrusher's forum, 'Prepare to be Reviewed', under the topic 'The Fanfic Critic'. I'm interested in seeing what a professional thinks of the story so far, so if you're interested, PM me and take your crack at it. I'm dying to see what you have to say. Imawordbender? If you're still out there somewhere, I'd like you to consider, too. ;)**

**Now, before I go (to sleep), I just want to remind you guys again of the Movie Cast Challenge. For reference, I think it's two chapters ago. And also, there's an open poll on my profile about your favorite character. Be sure to check it out.**

**ONE LAST THING! I know you guys are reading, and I really appreciate it, but it'd make me the happiest person in the world if more of you would review. Just grant me this one wish before I collapse with exhaustion, please?**

**And that's all for right now. The next chapter will be up before the New Years, I promise. And until then, this is SH10, signing out.)**


	31. Breakout

**(A/N: Welcome to the final chapter before the New Years! I'm rested and relaxed, and ready to blow the doors off of this challenge I have put myself up to! Get ready, guys, you're in for a show!**

**Christmas Break is in full swing for most of us, which means MORE TIME FOR FF! YEAH! That being said, it's no surprise that this chapter comes to you quicker, yes?**

**That being said, let's rock and roll!**

***jumps and freezes in midair*)**

Zuko was on his feet instantly when he heard crashing from nearby. He didn't know why; it could've just been a clumsy guard dropping something, but something told Zuko that he should be aware of this.

'Is it Meiya? Has she escaped and is trying to save us?' Zuko asked himself. His jaw dropped when the guards stationed at his cell flew past and Ischi stood at his cell door, ripping the carbon bars out.

"Ischi! I can't believe it!" Zuko said, running up and hugging his fiancé. "How did you escape?"

"Girl power." Ischi said with a smile, flexing her toned arm. "And a little Metalbending."

"Look out!" Zuko called, trying to step in front of Ischi to defend her from a blast of fire from a Firebender Elite. Ischi, however, had other plans. She reached for the ground and ripped out a thick sheet of metal, using it to shield them both. When the fire stopped, Ischi pushed forward, sending the sheet of metal flying into the Firebender and sending them both into the wall. Ischi contoured the metal so that instead of crushing him, it would just trap him there.

"Isn't that kind of redundant? If he didn't die from being flattened, he's just going to die from suffocation." Zuko pointed out as they ran past.

"I'm not THAT horrible of a person that I'd just splatter him against the wall." Ischi defended. "Stop right here."

Ischi looked around, seeing no guards.

"What?" Zuko inquired.

"I felt out where you were by using Seismic Sense on the metal of the ship and finding the places that had a lack of metal. I can essentially see this entire ship by just touching a wall and concentrating."

Ischi placed one hand on the cold wall and closed her eyes. The feeling that came over her was almost impossible to describe. It felt as if her entire being was spreading through the entire ship, so she could see almost everything, except for three blotted out areas on different levels of the hull.

"There's another cell almost directly above us!" Ischi gasped.

"Alright, let's hurry to the nearest stairs and-"

"No need. To a Metalbender, this maze-like monster is nothing but a fun plaything."

Ischi leaped up and dug her fingers into the metal ceiling, ripping it out of its place and causing the Shadowbenders that were standing on the above floor to plummet.

Ischi molded the mangled metal into crude stairs, which she placed at the end of the gaping hole she had made.

Ischi and Zuko walked up the steps and looked around.

"Is there anybody there? Hello?" yelled Khole's voice.

"We're here, Khole!" Ischi yelled, following the voice. She ran up to the cell and smashed the bars, allowing Khole to get out.

"Now all that's left is Kohi and Meiya." Ischi said as she felt out the nearest cell.

"Let's go! This way!" Ischi called, running in an eastward direction.

000

Meiya sat silently in her cell, her only companion the internal urge to kill herself. Nothing had happened for the past couple of hours, or at least what Meiya thought were hours. The eternal darkness made it frustratingly hard to tell.

As Meiya was contemplating these things, she turned and gasped as the cell door opened.

"You're coming with me!" Caption Oro said as he lifted Meiya to her feet and pulled her out of the cell, toward the deck.

"Where are you taking me?" Meiya demanded, once she realized that struggling was futile.

"There's been a jailbreak, you're friends are most definitely searching for you, and I'm making sure they don't find you."

Hearing that her friends were free and looking for her made Meiya struggle harder. Her chance for escape had been taken from her, and now it looked even more grim.

Oro and Meiya descended a staircase, running quickly past Kohi's cell as they did. Kohi gasped and followed them with her eyes. Only moments later, Ischi smashed through a nearby wall.

"Kohi! Thank goodness we found you!" Ischi said as she tore out the carbon cell wall.

"Don't celebrate yet! I saw someone taking Meiya away, toward the deck! I don't know what they're going to do to her!"

"Nothing will happen to her. I'LL make sure of that! Now let's go! Which way, Kohi?"

"That way!" Kohi said, running down the hall in the direction that the captain took Meiya.

Ischi smashed through a nearby door, glaring at the captain struggling to subdue Meiya.

"You let her go right now!" Ischi demanded, tearing a chunk of metal from the deck and throwing it at the captain.

Meiya broke Oro's grip just as the metal ball smashed into him.

"Ischi, I can't thank you enough!" Meiya cried, running up and hugging her friend and teammate.

"No! I will not sit and wait for my life to end in the most horrible way possible!" Oro cried, taking a remote from his pocket and vigorously mashing the button. A piercing alarm sounded and machinery began to whir and churn. Before long, several projectile launchers that were seen on the side of the ship had risen to the deck and were aimed straight at TeaMeiya.

"Lady Reigo only told me to make sure you didn't escape! She didn't say anything about wanting you alive! Fire all weapons! Fire! Fire! FIRE!"

"We're gonna die!" Kohi screamed, ducking her head and squeezing her eyes shut.

Every single one of the shrapnel guns emptied their rounds on the one spot where TeaMeiya was standing. Kohi had closed her eyes expecting to never open them again, but when she found herself able to, she looked around, surprised.

Every single piece of superheated shrapnel was frozen in midair. Ischi had extended both arms outward, using her Metalbending to create a 'force field' around her and her friends.

"I will not…" Ischi said. "Let you hurt…"

The captain's face was screwed up in horror.

"MY FRIENDS!" Ischi finished, pointing her hands at the captain.

All of the shrapnel that Ischi had collected flew at the same speed they were fired from, straight at Oro. They tore straight through his body, instantly turning him into a human-shaped sponge.

Oro's hole-riddle corpse collapsed to the ground. Ischi looked upon it with an unsettling satisfaction in her stare.

"Now that that's over with, let's find the Bison and get out of here!" Ischi said, feeling the deck of the ship.

"The Bison's in a lower region. The part of the ship that the Bison is in is below sea level. Clever bastards."

"How are we going to get it out of here?" Meiya asked.

"Like this!" Ischi said, lining up and punch, then smashing the floor, causing a concentrated shockwave to tear through the many levels of the ship, until it reached a certain level, which it stopped on.

Ischi curved the sections of the floor she had destroyed, turning it into a slide, which TeaMeiya rode down to reach the Bison.

"Wait." Ischi said as Meiya was about to climb into her airship.

"What's wrong?"

"We have to destroy this warship before we go. We have to make sure that it's never used to destroy anything or anybody."

"How are we going to do that? Admittedly, your Metalbending is awesome, but I don't think it's powerful enough to crush this mountainous monster."

"I don't have to crush it." Ischi said, feeling out the ship. "Follow me, and be ready to fight on the way.

TeaMeiya fought, killed, and smashed their way through the hallways of the ship until they reached a large, cylindrical room. Inside this chamber was a massive machine that took in water from the sea, superheated it, and delivered the hot air to all parts of the ship.

"This must be it: the boiling chamber."

Ischi pushed her hand to one wall and another cascading force smashed through the walls into the chamber where the Sky Bison sat.

"Now, as soon as I do this, we're going to have roughly thirty seconds. You guys run as fast as you can to the ship, right now.""What are you going to do, Ischi?" Zuko asked.

"Turn this place into a time bomb. Now go!"

Zuko nodded and ran with the others through the hole that Ischi had just made.

Ischi stood before the massive boiler and breathed in, raising her hands to the air.

She then exhaled quickly and clenched her fist.

Simultaneously, all of the pipes that led out of the boiler compressed themselves into airtight cylinders. Immediately, the boiler began to bulge from the pressure.

Ischi turned and ran as fast as she could to the Bison.

"Go! Go! Go!" Ischi said, using Metalbending to piston herself onto the airship.

Meiya lifted the Bison off of the ground and flew it out of the neat holes that Ischi had made for the escape. It wasn't long before the Sky Bison was high into the open air.

""Faster! We're not out of range!" Ischi said impatiently.

"What did you do to the ship anyway?" Khole asked.

"You'll see in a few seconds. We'll be caught in it if this thing doesn't go faster.

"I'm trying, I'm try-"

Before Meiya could finish, there was a sound like a crack of thunder, then a powerful explosion that shook the Sky Bison and threatened to take it out of the sky.

Meiya threw the Bison in autopilot and turned around with the rest of her friends to see what had happened.

The area where the S.S Chaos once floated went up in a massive cloud of smoke. Two sections of the ship were upheaved in a massive, smoldering break. Both destroyed sections of the ship began to slowly sink into the deep. There was a moment when TeaMeiya wondered if the ocean could hold such a massive craft, but eventually, both parts of the ship were swallowed whole by the dark blue waters.

"Whoa…" Khole cooed, her eyes widening and sparkling at the spectacular sight. "That's amazing! And you did that all by yourself, Ischi!"

"I did? I did…" Ischi thought about this.

"I think it's fair to say that you were the true Avatar today." Meiya said with a smile.

"You don't know how happy that makes me to hear you say that, Meiya!" Ischi said, hugging the real Avatar.

"I couldn't be more proud of you, my princess. I don't think I deserve you."

"Oh, don't say that Zuko! If anything, I'm the one who doesn't deserve you." Ischi said as she and her beloved shared a kiss and a long embrace.

"Next stop: Southern Water Tribe! And that breakout sure didn't come easy for us, so I predict smooth sailing."

And with that, Meiya pulled the clutch into autopilot and leaned back against the wall of the Bison's saddle and began to snore.

000

From the mainland of Fire Fountain City, formerly under siege of the Earth Kingdom, now under the rule of the Shadow Clan, Reigo stared in awe as a giant mushroom cloud began to rise out of the ocean. For a moment, she glanced at herself, as if to see if there was anything different.

Reigo quickly conjured a trans-dimensional portal, bringing up Kumori's face.

"What have you to report?" Kumori asked.

"The third Weapon of Discord has just been destroyed!"

Kumori showed slight surprise in her middle-aged face. "Interesting. History is moving along at a much faster pace than I had imagined. Meiya isn't supposed to learn Waterbending until a couple of days from now. This could have a huge impact on history if she doesn't arrive at her next destination at just the right moment. The S.S Chaos was just supposed to be a roadblock to give us time to right the schedule. But now it seems that we have to adjust some things."

"Like what?"

"Listen closely, Reigo. I need you to move this person to Republic City in the next three days. I don't care how you do it; just get him there." Kumori instructed, showing Reigo a picture.

"Where does this man live?"

"Currently, he has a residence on Whale Tail Island."

"That's all I need to know. I'll get him to where he needs to be, whether he wants to be there or not." Reigo said, before dissipating the portal and sinking into the ground, shadow-swimming away.

000

Having covered most of the distance to the Southern Water tribe before being captured, it only took a couple of hours to reach the icy land after escaping. Meiya found the mountain insertion where Katara had made her cave and landed the Bison there.

"Katara! Katara! We got the Koi fish!" Khole said, taking the slightly damaged fish bowl out of the storage hatch and hobbling it into the cave.

"Jeez, what took you young whippersnappers so long?" Katara asked jokingly, throwing her voice to sound older. "Hm. This bowl looks like it's been living twenty years. Rough time getting back?"

"You can say that." Meiya said.

Katara nodded and took the fish bowl, walking toward the three pools of water.

"Tui, the Moon Spirit, will be placed in the Pool of Life, to restore the vitality of water's healing properties."

As she said this, Katara took Tui out of the fish bowl and placed it in the pool farthest away from the entrance. As soon as the Moon Spirit began to circle in the pool, the water began to glow.

"La, the Ocean Spirit, will be placed in the Pool of Power, to restore the vitality of Waterbending itself."

Similarly. La was ceremoniously placed into its pool of water, to the bottom-left of the Pool of Life.

Khole pointed her hand at the wall next to her, but she was unable to bend the ice.

"What's happening? I still can't bend." Khole observed.

"Because we are not finished yet. The Pool of Wisdom must be active in order for Waterbending to be restored. Meiya, come here."

Meiya furled her eyebrows and walked up to Katara. She placed two fingers on the Avatar's forehead, and another two on the crown of her chest.

"See you guys in about five hundred years." Katara said to the others. She looked into the sky, and suddenly, her eyes and inner mouth began to glow.

Meiya gasped, a split second before her features, hairrow, and tattoos began to glow as well.

"Did she say five hundred years?" Kohi asked.

"I think she di-"

"Whew! That was a good five-century Waterbending lesson, wasn't it?"

"It… just felt like an instant…" Meiya said, looking at herself.

"What just happened?" Kohi asked, confused.

"Remember during the story I told you? When Aang opened his own pocket of the Spirit World to train for millennia in only thirty minutes? That's all I did."

"Ah…" Kohi said with a nod.

"Now, you won't e able to use your mastery of Waterbending yet, not until I become the trigger for activating the Pool of Wisdom, to instill the knowledge of Waterbending back into the minds of every Waterbender. It is completely symbolic, actually. All it's doing is completing the circuit and allowing Waterbenders to Waterbend again."

"What do you mean, 'become the trigger'?" Meiya asked.

"I've lived a good long life, too long a life. When I first drank from the oasis, I thought that living forever would be the best thing in the world for me. It's a dream that's been in the minds of many a man or woman. But after living for five hundred years longer than I had to, all I want to do is just die. I want to go to the Spirit World and see my friends again, and this is my one chance out of here." Katara said, stepping into the pool.

"It was really nice knowing you, Katara." Meiya said, smiling. Katara smiled back at her before closing her eyes.

"I, Katara, will suspend myself in the Pool of Wisdom to bestow upon my people the knowledge of new Waterbending.

Once she said this, Katara breathed outward, as if taking her last breath. All of a sudden, crystal began to climb up her legs, eventually encasing her entire body. At the same time, the Pool of Wisdom began to glow.

000

Meiya stared in curiosity and amazement at the orb of water she held in her hand, suspended in its position with Waterbending. Meiya was Waterbending. She almost couldn't believe it.

Khole was having a blast with the new Waterbending. She froze, melted, and refroze the water and ice around her like it was a completely new thing for her.

"We're Waterbenders, aren't we?" Meiya asked Khole.

"You know it, cousin!" Khole said excitedly.

"Katara taught me everything she knew. I became a master Waterbender in five real-world seconds."

"So, what now?" Ischi asked.

"This is the end of one chapter of our little story, and the next begins now. Where is the closest patch of mainland?"

"I believe it's Republic City." Zuko said.

"Then that's where we're going. Ischi can teach me Earthbending, I can learn the basics of Firebending from Zuko, then find a real master to teach me."

"So why are we still standing here talking about it? Let's go!" Kohi said, running out of the cave and jumping into the Bison. Meiya, Khole, Ischi and Zuko followed closely behind and took off, in a northwestern direction.

000

On Whale Tail Island, when everyone had packed it in for the later hours of the eternal night, two people stood in an alleyway, talking.

"Kei Lin Wu… A petty thief, master Earthbender and a VERY pretty face." said Reigo's smooth voice.

"Reigo, one of the famous Shadowbenders. I don't think you'll find many friends here." Kei said, stepping closer to Reigo and illuminating his face. It was the same man who had attacked Ischi.

"I'm not looking for friends. I'm looking for you."

"You're familiar with me?"

"Not exactly, but YOU are 'familiar' with someone of interest, no?" Reigo said, covering herself in shadow. Kei frowned when the shadow melted off of Reigo to reveal Ischi's body.

"I don't know Ischi on a… personal level, but-"

"You don't need to. My mother, the Shadow Sovereign, needs you for a special mission, since you are able to right the course of history. You need to be in Republic City within the next twenty-four hours, preferably."

"I was planning on going there anyway, only a few days from now."

"Not good enough, Kei. The future… YOUR future, needs you there by the day after tomorrow, at the very latest. I am prepared to pay you for your services. Money is no object."

"I may not be a saint, but I'm not a full-on villain. I can't help the Shadowbenders, no matter how much you pay me."

"I was afraid you would say that." Reigo said, grabbing Kei by the neck and pulling him closer before he could resist. Reigo kissed him and held him in that position. Kei's eyes widened, then his pupils dulled and his muscles relaxed.

Reigo pulled away from the kiss, licking her lips as if savoring his taste. She leaned closer and began to whisper softly in his ear.

"I will take you to Republic City myself. When you arrive there, you will have no knowledge of our visit, and you will neither know, nor wonder why you are there."

Kei nodded slowly.

"Good boy. Now, let's go. We're on a schedule." Reigo said, taking Kei and sinking into the ground with him. Reigo's shadow swam out of the city and onto the ocean.

**(A/N: And there you have it ladies and gentlemen! The final chapter this year! The first part of Book Two has finally ended, and next year, the drama level is only going to get higher!**

**I know, I seem awfully chipper for being up at almost one o'clock in the morning, but I'm just so excited for this to be done! Now I can relax until mid-January!**

**I promise you guys that I won't forget about this story. This story will be all I'm thinking about until the next chapter next year. I make a solemn oath that this story will not end up like the other three unfinished stories on my profile!**

**Everything else I had to say, I said last chapter, so I can wrap this up and go to sleep! Thanks you guys so much for all of your support! A special thanks to TeamAvatar, jenniyan, Nicoleintechnicolor, Imawordbender (wherever she may be), aguywithnorealaccount, and everybody else who reviewed! You guys were my rocks to stand on! The people who inspired me to keep writing even when I wanted to quit so badly! I will cherish this story always! It's my favorite, and you will be sure I'll see it out until the end. If I don't, I give you full permission to hate me for all eternity! ^^**

**The next chapter will be up next year, mid-January! Until then, this is SH10, signing out! Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!)**


	32. The Center of the Modern World 1

**(A/N: And… We're back! Hello, my good friends and welcome back to that big ol' tub o' fun known as Avatar: Rise of the Shadowbenders! This chapter will be a special one! Why? Because this is the first chapter to be posted via MY NEW LAPTOP! *applause***

**This one is much better than the old one, which I only miss a tiny bit, but there's no time for my sappiness! It's time to get rolling with the story!)**

"No way… It can't be true… Is that… the sun that I see?"

The unbelieving observation from TeaMeiya's own Kohi drew everyone to the side of the Bison to see.

"No way! That IS the sun! But how is that possible?" Meiya asked.

"The moon has stopped moving, remember? That must mean that on the other side of the world, the sun can glare away." Zuko suggested.

"And what perfect timing for the sun to rise; we've arrived!" Ischi said, pointing at the approaching mainland. A large metal city loomed over the horizon. From the height and manner of construction of the buildings, there was no doubt that this was the famed 'Center of the Modern World': Republic City.

Meiya brought the Sky Bison low, landing it just outside the city. She leaped down onto the hard earth with a smile. The rest of the team followed suit.

"Alright, Master Ischi. Teach away!" Meiya said, bowing.

"Oh, Meiya! Come now! We can't visit the Center of the Modern World without doing a little sightseeing!"

"Sure we can. Besides, sightseeing never did anything for us. I suggest we save the sightseeing for after I learn- H-Hey! Are you guys listening to me?" Meiya yelled exasperatedly as she watched the rest of her team walk and talk into the city, completely ignoring her.

"Grr! Somebody owes me…" Meiya grumbled as she ran to catch up.

000

"So, since nobody seems to want me to train to save the world, what should we look at first?" Meiya said with bitter sarcasm as she walked alongside her temple-mate and her supposed-to-be teacher.

"The first thing to look at when visiting a new place is the food!" Kohi suggested, spotting a restaurant nearby. "They'd better have something for vegetarians!"

"Kohi, wait!" Meiya yelled in vain as her friend sprinted into the building.

"It's alright, Meiya. I'm sure she'll be fine." Ischi said, placing a hand on the growling Meiya's shoulder.

"It's not Kohi I'm worried about. It's everybody else that's inside." Meiya said as she began to follow Kohi, the rest of her team tagging along.

000

"Ugh… Who knew it would be an uphill war just to eat?" Meiya said, holding an ice pack to her head after receiving her free meal and taking her seat with her friends.

"Well, you can't blame them. You ARE dressed like a Shadowbender." Ischi said as she ate a forkful of her pasta.

"Why would a Shadowbender enter a completely random restaurant surrounded by other people?"

"I guess they must've thought you were chasing me." Kohi suggested between bites of her salad.

"Whatever. The food had better be good."

Ischi, as she ate, thoughtfully looked about the beautiful restaurant they sat in. Along with the excellent food, the woodworking of the place was breathtaking. Her eyes traveled around the tables, stopping suddenly at one.

Ischi looked at the man who sat at the table. He seemed familiar to her. Her mind began to ache as it automatically searched her memory for that young man's face. The ache soon became a burning sensation of pain in her head. She tried to look away from the man, but she couldn't.

Ischi blinked hard and clenched her teeth, trying hard not to bring her hands to her head. At the moment that the man's thoughtful eyes also drifted about the room, meeting Ischi's for a swift, ignorable moment, Ischi had a sudden epiphany and she flashed back.

000

_"Excuse me, miss. Your name wouldn't be Ischi Bei Fong, would it?"_

_"Yes. Who are you?"_

_"My name is Kei. And it is a great honor to meet you."_

000

'It's him!' Ischi realized, remembering her attacker's face and suave, brown eyes.

"Excuse me for a second." Ischi said as she rose, running to the bathroom. In the commotion, Kei raised his head to see what was going on. Seeing Ischi surprised him and forced him to remember the horrible thing that he did to her.

Seeing Ischi in such a panic made him assume that she was still affected by what had happened.

'I have to get out of here.' he thought, standing to leave. He dropped a couple of coins on the table before walking out of the door.

"What's up with Ischi?" Khole asked with a worried tone as she witnessed the buzz she was causing in her attempt to dash to the restroom. "Could she still be sick?"

"I'll go check on her." Meiya said, standing and walking through the swathe that Ischi had cut, following her to the restroom.

000

In one of the women's stalls, Ischi stood over the metal toilet, trying hard not to vomit. Her mind was working harder than it ever had before. Fear gathered in her chest, making it harder for her to breathe.

"Are you okay, Ischi?" Meiya's voice said. "Where are you?"

"First stall…" Ischi panted.

Meiya opened the stall door and furled her eyebrows. "What's wrong?"

"It must be a… sudden relapse of my sickness."

"Ischi, this isn't normal. If you've been this sick for this long, we need to go see a doctor."

"No." was Ischi's automatic response. "I'm fine, I promise."

"Stop denying it!" Meiya yelled suddenly, which surprised Ischi and compelled her to turn to look at Meiya. "I don't know what your problem is, but if you think you're being noble, you're dead wrong! Bend the floor."

Ischi was surprised at the sudden request, mostly because she knew what would happen. She tried it, and her fears came true. Nothing happened. The stone floor didn't even give a slight crack.

"Exactly." Meiya said. "You're NOT fine. Something is seriously wrong with you, Ischi, and it's messing with your bending. You're lucky I care enough now to try and get you treated instead of dumping you somewhere and finding another Earthbending teacher! Argh!"

Meiya groaned in sharp pain as her tattoos began to flash red.

"Don't look at me like that, Ischi. I'm no hypocrite. I know what's wrong with me and I can't help it. You're denying treatment for whatever reason, and I'm not taking it anymore. Let's go. We're finding a doctor."

"Meiya, treatment won't work! I know what's wrong with me! It's psychological!"

"Then tell me. Once we find the issue, we can work it out. You don't have to suffer through this alone. Tell me what happened." Meiya said, walking and locking the bathroom door.

Ischi's throat tightened. She had never told anyone about the rape, and she was beginning to feel self-conscious anxiety about it.

"W-Well, back on Whale Tail Island, you know, with the anniversary dispute."

Meiya nodded.

"Zuko and I got separated for some of the day… and…"

"Yes?"

"I ended up drinking away my troubles in a bar, then this guy…"

"Guy? What guy?"

Ischi was in too deep now. It was too late for her to fabricate a believable story. All she could do was hide information from Meiya.

"I don't remember his name, but he offered me a drink, and I remember the shot being stronger than anything I had ever drunk before."

Meiya furled her eyebrows. She was beginning to piece together Ischi's story, but she couldn't be sure until she finished.

The next thing *sniff* I remember… *sob!*"

"Tell me, Ischi. It's alright. You can tell me."

"I was raped, Meiya!" Ischi yelled, blinding herself with her tears. "All the signs were there! I was in someone else's bed, I had bruises on my neck and legs, I was naked, and that person was still there! He was in another room! I snuck out, and then I just broke down! Oh, Meiya!" Ischi finished, throwing herself into the stunned Avatar.

It was several moments of Ischi's violent sobbing later before Meiya regained enough composure to speak again.

"I assume Zuko doesn't know about this?"

"Of course he doesn't. I wanted to tell him that day, only to find salt thrown in my wound! Zuko had never forgotten our anniversary! I went through all of that for nothing! I should've known, Meiya! I should've trusted him! If I tell him now, after hiding it from him for so long, he's never going to trust me again! I can't lie to him, Meiya, and if I did, he'd know, and that would make it even worse!"

Ischi turned her bleary, soggy eyes up to Meiya's, which were more cloudy than usual, mostly with second-hand guilt. "W-What if he breaks off the m-marriage? What w-would I do th-then? I'd be all alone…"

"Ischi, Zuko loves you too much to let this be the end of it. I know that he won't break up with you, but in order for that to be certain, you have to be the one that tells him. If he heard about this from anybody else, then you'll be the one that's in trouble. This isn't the time or place, though. It looks like instead of being in and out of this city, we'll be here for a while. Long enough to have to rent a place to stay."

Meiya stood Ischi up and looked into her eyes.

"Thank you for having the strength to tell this to me, Ischi. I'll do all I can to help you get through this, but you have to do your part to, and you know what that is. Tell him. Sooner, if possible."

"Thank you, Meiya." Ischi blubbered.

"I'll give you all the time you need to compose yourself. Don't be scared when you come out. Just come out when you're good and ready." Meiya said, unlocking the door and exiting the restroom. Ischi stood over the sink for the next several minutes calming herself down and getting rid of all traces of her crying and fatigue.

000

"What a day…" Meiya said as she crashed on one of the two beds in the suite that Ischi and Zuko generously rented out to the owner of the hotel they were staying in. The bags of clothes that they had brought were dropped at the door.

"Alright, guys. First things first!" Kohi said, sitting next to Meiya on the bed and putting on her serious face. "We already know that Ischi and Zuko will be sharing a bed, and there's no arguing with Meiya, so who gets to sleep in Meiya's bed, me or Khole?"

"What's that supposed to mean?" Meiya asked.

"I really want to sleep with you, Meiya! You're my shared best friend!"

"'Shared' best friend?"

"I share my best friend-ness of you with Suni, remember?"

"No. I never knew you were friends with my sister."

"Oops, we're getting off-topic! Who gets to bunk with Meiya?"

"I'm fine sleeping on the couch in the other room." Khole suggested with a shrug. "But first, I think it's high time I heal this broken leg so I can get back in action."

Khole hobbled to the bed next to Meiya and sat down, taking a floating blob of water from her pouch and wrapping her leg with it. The water casing began to glow, and after a few seconds, the glow diminished.

Khole unwrapped the thick gauze from around her leg and foot, shaking it and stomping on the floor with it.

"Much better! I feel like a whole new Khole!"

"So, Ischi, what happened today?" Zuko asked his fiancé, separate from the buzzing conversation of the other girls.

"Oh, you mean the commotion at the restaurant? It seemed to be a sudden relapse of that sickness I had. Maybe the food triggered it. I'm much better now, though." Ischi said, putting on a false smile that would fool anyone. She hated lying to herself, and hated lying to Zuko even more, but if she didn't lie…

"Well, I'm glad you're feeling better-"

"Guys, check out the tiny little icebox we have in here! It's loaded with food!" Kohi called.

Curiosity-stricken, Zuko excused himself and walked to the icebox.

"Hm. There's only water in here, though. I'll order some Jade Dragon Tea downstairs."

"I could go if you like." Ischi said, seeing an opportunity to try and get her head together before she slipped up and ruined it.

"Are you sure? You still seem a bit tired."

"I'm positive. I'll be back in a few minutes." Ischi said, getting off of the bed and walking towards the door.

When she closed it behind her, Ischi replaced her feigned smile with a worried frown. How would she break this news to Zuko when the time was right? When was the right time? Where was the right place?

Ischi lost herself in her thoughts, not seeing where she was going. She bumped into someone and her train of thought derailed.

"Oh! Sorry-" Ischi started, looking up and catching her breath when she saw who it was.

"Ischi?" asked Kei with a surprised tone.

"Kei!" Ischi yelled more than she asked, a shiver crawling up her back.

Kei stepped forward when he saw Ischi's body shifting to start running.

"Don't go, Ischi, please." Kei whispered, trying to gently grab Ischi's arm. To Ischi, it felt like cold fire.

"Let go of me!" Ischi whispered back, struggling. Ischi's flailing forced Kei to try and tighten his grip, but Ischi wriggled out before he could and she took off running.

Ischi looked back a few times to see if Kei was still following her. She ran down the hall, making a few turns as she did. She was trying to get as far away from Kei as possible. Suddenly, as she turned a third corner, she saw Kei standing there and she bit back a scream.

'How did he do that?' she thought, stumbling backwards and tripping over her feet, falling to the floor.

"H-How..? Ischi chattered as Kei turned around.

"I didn't move. You just ran in one huge circle." Kei explained, backing away one step to show Ischi that he would keep his distance.

Confused, Ischi slowly stood, still on guard.

"Wh-wha-what do you want from me?" Ischi asked.

"First, to apolo-"

"No! No, no, no, no! Don't bother; I can never forgive you for what you've done to me!"

Ischi tried her best to keep her voice at a whisper.

"I know you can't. But an apology and a testimonial is all I can offer."

"W-What?" Ischi asked.

Kei put his hands behind his back and took a step toward Ischi. When she didn't move, he stepped closer.

"I'm not the same guy I was at Whale Tail Island."

"And I'm not the same girl. Ever since that day, I can barely eat, I can't sleep, and I can't bend." Ischi retorted, feeling something inside as she began to give Kei a piece of her mind.

"That's all I could think about after I got arrested for the larceny I committed that same day. I thought you had reported me until they told me my charge."

'Why didn't I think of that?' Ischi thought as Kei continued.

"A couple of weeks behind bars made me think of you."

"If you don't remember, I already told you I have a fiancé. And even if I didn't-"

"No, no. Not that way. About what I did to you. After jail made me desert my selfishness, I couldn't stop thinking about what I could've done to you, long-term. I tore myself apart with all of those possible effects. At one point, I had considered that you had killed yourself."

Ischi tried not to gasp. She couldn't be swayed by his silver tongue.

"How am I supposed to know that you're not lying to me?"

"If I still had malicious intent, I wouldn't be wasting my time talking to you. I would've already knocked you out, taken you somewhere, and raped you again."

This made Ischi wary, and she backed away from Kei, only to find her body hugging a wall.

"Relax. " Kei said, taking a step back again. "I don't want to hurt you. All I want to do is set things straight, and you never have to see me again."

"I-I have to be somewhere."

"Wait!" Kei said, almost yelling. "Can we talk another time?"

"Maybe. If we meet alone again, we can talk."

"Ischi, one more thing." Kei said, walking up to her and taking her shoulders, making Ischi gasp.

"Listen closely to my words. You have nothing to fear from me. I do not want to hurt you now. Fear hinders the rock-solid strength that comes with Earthbending. I know, because at one point, I couldn't bend either. Do not be afraid anymore. Find your confidence and your strength, and you can bend again."

And with those words, Kei turned and walked toward a stairwell. Ischi turned in the other direction and walked toward another stairwell nearby. She believed him, yet she still felt something suspicious inside. She took her mind off of it as she remembered her tea mission.

000

In the still-dark land of New Zuko, Kaizu said goodbye to Miye as she entered her house. Ever since Reigo had left, he and Miye's relationship had been improving greatly, so much so that even Miye's children now feel comfortable around the Shadow Lord.

As the still, endless night stayed where it was, as it always would, Kaizu stood atop the finished Shadow Palace, looking out at the dark blue sea.

Suddenly, a beeping in his pocket dragged him out of his thoughts. He took out a small device and frowned. His face went from peaceful to that of someone who had just received news that a close family member had passed away. The device he held in his hand was the beacon of the Devourer. If he was sending the signal, that could only mean that it had completed its collection mission and that D-Day was fast approaching.

Eventually, the beeping stopped, and Kaizu put the device back in his pocket. Any day now, he would be expecting the dreaded message from Reigo, and he knew exactly what she would tell him:

"It's time."

**(A/N: We're done! I kept my promise, and I didn't forget the story! In fact, it was all I could think about during Christmas Break! I can't bear to be away from you little monsters for a long time, so this chapter had been produced a little earlier than I had expected it. Think of it as my New Year's gift from me to you!**

**My New Year's resolution is to work harder to make this story awesomer, and to get better grades… My Computer Tech GPA is not looking so fresh right now…**

**Anyway, before I go, here's another fun two-part question you can answer in your review (you are going to review…right?)!**

**Which character is most like you, or one of your friends? Which character can you see yourself as friends with if they existed in the real world?**

**That's all for now. The break's over and school's back on, so the chapters will come a little slower. That's another resolution, to submit chapters faster. You can expect to see the next chapter in about a week. If you don't see it in a week, you have permission to PM me, asking, "WTF, Shadowheart? Where's the next chapter?'**

**Now I'm going to play the Wii with my mom and brother, and start on the next chapter tomorrow. Until then, this is SH10, signing out! Ngozi (Igbo word, meaning blessings)!**


	33. The Center of the Modern World 2

**(A/N: I have not been loyal to my New Year's Resolution so far… I started working on this chapter about a week after the last one. I'm ashamed! But I won't fret, because I'm taking initiative and secretly typing the chapter from my school's computer tech lab. Shh! Don't tell my teacher!**

**Anyway, today, we have a whale of a chapter for ya! I sort of went off the beaten path with the end of my last chapter, which I ended not quite like the ending I had in Mind (In case you're wondering, Mind is a spontaneous writer. She just thinks about stuff. She doesn't usually write it down. When we start on chapters, she just thinks and I type as I go. Hard to believe, but it's true!) So I had to make a LEEtle detour. You may not know it, but this chapter will actually be a little different from what Mind had planned for it. Sorry, Mind!)**

Kei walked aimlessly through the hotel hallways, unsure as to where he was going, but completely certain, at the same time, that's he'd find what he was looking for.

"We had a deal." whispered Reigo's cold, harsh voice from seemingly nowhere.

Kei stopped and looked around, his expression not changing.

"Wherever you are, I don't care about your deal. I'm not going to hurt Ischi again, ever."

From a crack in the wall behind Kei, an oily shadow slithered forward and rose, taking Reigo's shape and form. She lightly stepped forward and jabbed a spot on the back of Kei's neck. He stiffened instantly, letting out a half-choked gasp.

"You think you're so noble and such a Samaritan, don't you?" Reigo asked him.

"You won't do anything to me, Shadowbender. You need me to get at Ischi."

"That's where you're wrong." Kei's voice said. Reigo stepped in front of him to reveal that she had morphed into a perfect clone of him. "I don't NEED anybody."

"Then why did you choose me? Why are you putting me through this?"

"This is usually the part where I make a memorable statement that reveals more about me and frightens the hell out of you, right?"

Kei didn't say a word.

"Well, let me give this cliché new life." Reigo morphed back to her normal female form and put her lips to Kei's ear.

"That's just my thing." She whispered with a smile.

"Wha- What?" Kei stammered, not understanding Reigo's statement.

"Are you frightened yet? There is no special reason why I use people like I do, if you don't count genetics. Thanks, Mother." Reigo said the last sentence to herself. "Just count yourself lucky I didn't kill you the moment you and Ischi were out of each other's sights."

Kei gulped, his muscles still stiffened and frozen.

"Now, because I like you, I'm not going to give you another chance. Just stay out of sight until I tell you the right time to show yourself again." Reigo said, turning and beginning to walk away.

"What are you going to do to Ischi?" Kei demanded.

"I'm going to make sure that the course of history gets back where it should be."

"ISCHI DID NOTHING WRONG TO YOU!" Kei screamed, not caring if anyone heard him. No one did. "You can't have anything against Ischi! She's not the person who would wrong someone without trying to gain forgiveness!"

"And you would know this because? It's not like you're one who can use 'Ischi' and 'doing wrong' in the same sentence." Reigo said without turning. "And I'll let you in on a little secret. I've seen the future, and that comment about Ischi doing nothing wrong to me couldn't be more inaccurate."

"So you're taking revenge on Ischi over something that hasn't happened yet? Is that why you're here? Is that why you're using me?"

"I'm using you because I can. My reasons for despising Ischi are my own. The time for talking has ended. Once I'm out of range, your muscles will relax. Stay out of sight until I tell you, or by the time I'm done with you, you'll have WISHED I had killed you."

And with those chilling last words, Reigo continued her stroll down the hall, turning a corner. As soon as Kei couldn't see her, he breathed out and his arms fell to his sides. Kei turned in the other direction and began to walk toward the hotel's front desk.

000

"There's no way you expect me to wear this out in public." Meiya growled the next morning as she stepped out of the bathroom wear a dressy-but-casual short gown that Ischi had brought for her.

"Would you rather wear those Shadowbender clothes?" Ischi asked.

"Actually, yes. They're less stupid than this getup." Meiya said, habitually tugging at the hem to try to lower the gown a little more.

"Come on, Meiya! For the first time in… err, a long time, you actually look really, really pretty!" Kohi commented.

"You think so? Because I feel like a bed sheet. I swear, the slightest breeze in the wrong direction will ruin my life and my reputation as the Avatar."

"Don't be so uptight, Meiya, you look fine."

"No I don't! I look ridiculous, especially with my training hanging over my head like a boulder, which I can't bend yet, because you won't teach me how to!" Meiya pouted indignantly.

"I'll tell you what: Let's go have fun today, then tomorrow, I can teach you all day, non-stop."

"Fine, but I need pants if I'm going to have ANY 'fun' today." Meiya said, grabbing the bottoms of her Shadowbender garb and entering the bathroom again.

The next time Meiya exited, she had torn the hem off of the gown, turning it into a flowy blouse, which she wore with the black Airbender Elite pants. Meiya wore the torn off hem as a sash

"Alright, I'm ready to go now." Meiya said.

"Great! Where should we go first?"

"Zuko, you've been awfully quiet over there. Any suggestions?" Meiya asked the Fire Prince, who she last saw sitting at the window. She frowned when she saw that he wasn't there and the suite door was wide open.

"Where is he? Where'd he go?" Ischi asked.

"I don't know, but I do know something. Today is going to be more fun than I thought." Meiya said, walking out of the door with Kohi and Ischi in tow.

As Ischi closed the door behind her, the sound of the door slamming woke Khole, who was sleeping on the couch.

"Huh? What happened? Guys?"

000

Zuko had initially been sitting at the window, watching the people below and the harmonious blasts of steam from the rooftops of Republic City. He never expected to see a familiar head of silver hair among those in the shallow river of people. He looked to Ischi, Meiya, and Kohi, who weren't paying attention, and silently slipped out the door.

000

Zuko knew that if Reigo was active in daylight, the time that she's weakest, something must be going on, but what interested Zuko was why Reigo was in Republic City to begin with.

He exited the hotel, walking in the same direction that Reigo was, passing people and trying to stick his neck above the crowd. When he found her again, Zuko progressively began to track her from the side streets and alleyways.

Zuko watched as Reigo, wearing casual clothes by the way, started a conversation with a professional-looking man. He tried to get closer to hear what they were saying, but by the time he got close enough, all he heard was a 'thank-you' from Reigo as she smiled and turned the other direction. Zuko had to basically scramble for cover to avoid being seen as Reigo reversed her course and began walking back toward the hotel area. He was very confused about her objective. It just seemed like she was a regular person, going about her business, which she definitely wasn't.

Zuko snapped himself out of his thoughts when he forgot what he was doing. He tried to locate Reigo again, but had lost her completely. Zuko looked around where he stood, but still saw no trace of her.

All of a sudden, a hand touched Zuko's shoulder. Reigo had discovered him! Zuko quickly whipped around and twisted his attacker's arm behind her back.

"OW! Owwie, owwie, owwie!" Kohi's voice yelled. Zuko immediately released her when he saw who it was.

"Didn't I tell you that trying to scare him was a bad idea?" Meiya scolded as she and Ischi walked up. "I'll apologize for Kohi, Zuko."

"No need. What are you guys doing here?"

"We could ask you the same thing."

"I spotted Reigo out the window of the hotel room, so I snuck out and began to track her." Zuko explained.

"Reigo? I haven't seen Reigo since New Moon. What's she doing here in Republic City?" Meiya asked.

"That's what I wanted to know. I'm sorry if I gave you guys a fright… Where's Khole?"

There was a long pause.

000

Khole looked to the door at the sound of knocking.

"Room service!" called the cheery voice from the other side.

Khole opened the door to meet a brunette lady, in her early adult years.

The lady casually glanced at the room number, and then entered.

"Are you enjoying your stay?" she asked Khole as she began to make the beds.

"Yes, I am. This place is very hospitable, and the food is excellent."

"Why, thank you! We do our best to provide the most excellent service, especially considering that Prince Zuko and Princess Ischi of the Fire Nation and Earth Kingdom are staying here for a time. I am such a big admirer of both of them!"

The lady looked up and glanced at Khole. "My manager described three other people travelling with the Prince and Princess: Two Airbenders and a Waterbender. You fit the Waterbender description… This wouldn't happen to be the room where the Prince and Princess are staying, would it?"

"Actually, it is! Good guess." Khole said.

"Wow! This is such an honor! And for me to be talking to one of the Prince and Princess's charges is even better!

"Well, actually…"

"Ah, ah. No need to say anymore! I promise that I'll make this room spotless for when the Prince and Princess return! I just need a few more supplies!"

The cleaning lady ran out of the door, turning one corner. As soon as she turned, however, her entire persona changed. Her cheery face turned to that of malevolence and darkness, and her stance and manner of walking changed to match Reigo's. The woman walked to a nearby closet and opened it to reveal a similar looking woman who was tied up and gagged. Tears were streaming down her cheeks as she stared up fearfully at her doppelganger.

"Good news, bad news, my friend. Good news, I found what I was looking for. Now, I'd let you go, but after being you for an hour, I've realized from a piece of your personality that a blabbermouth like you wouldn't be able to keep me secret for long enough. So the bad news is…"

Reigo raised her hand and made shadowy claws extend from her fingertips. Her captive tried and failed to scream through the gag as Reigo cut her captive's life tragically short.

000

"I'm so sorry we forgot to wake you up, Khole!" Ischi apologized as they exited the hotel building again.

"It's no biggie. So, what were we planning on doing today?"

"I wanted to see-"

"The amusement park!" Kohi interrupted, cutting Meiya off.

"Excuse me, but I was talking! I wanted to see some of the local museums around here and actually be EDUCATED during our stay here!"

"I agree. I'd like to see one as well." Zuko seconded

"Aw! You always pick the most boring places to go, Meiya! Loosen up, have a little fun!" Kohi said, ruffling Meiya's hair, making it even more unkempt.

"I wouldn't mind seeing the amusement park here, either." Ischi said.

"I guess Khole's our tiebreaker. What do you think, Khole?" Meiya said, throwing her signature glare at her for a split second.

A chill ran up Khole's spine.

"Uh… I… can't decide."

"Well, how about this: Meiya and I will check out the museums while you and Kohi can see the amusement park. Does that sound good?"

"Well, what's Khole going to do?" Meiya asked.

"I just wanted to walk around and see what was here. I wasn't planning on staying in one place. I can roam by myself."

"Then it's settled. We'll all meet back here at the hotel at sunset."

TeaMeiya nodded in unanimous agreement and split up.

**(A/N: Ooh! I hate having to cut this chapter so short, but the rest has to be a surprise or the suspense will be shot down!**

**Hrm… I can't believe it. I think this is the first time where I can't think of anything to tell you guys in my Author's Note, other than the 'I' key on my laptop is stubborn, so f it seems that there are missing I's in the story, sorry. ^^'**

**WAIT! I do have something to say! A big ol' congratulation to TeamAvatar for delivering my ONE HUNDRETH REVIEW! (LOUD APPLAUSE!) Thank you so much!**

**Again, sorry for the shortened chapter! Seeya next time, little monsters!)**


	34. The Center of the Modern World 3

**(A/N: Here's the third out of four parts of The Center of the Modern World**.** Please forgive me for being quiet for such a long time! The snowstorm really dampened my efforts to write more than I had thought it would! But, all that matters is that I'm back! Let's see what's happening on our heroes' vacation time!)**

Kohi looked about in amazement at all of the colorful people and machines in the Republic City Park. So many colossal structures that looked fun to play on, mechanical devices that sent you up, down, inside out, and every other direction imaginable. And in the center of the park stood a big, metal statue of Avatar Korra, adorned with a plaque under it that read 'KORRA, THE PEACEMAKER'.

"This entire park was made in Avatar Korra's honor?" Ischi asked, staring up at the statue.

"I guess. Suddenly, I wish we were at the museum so we could know for sure what Avatar Korra did to gain such a great honor as this GREAT PARK! What should we do first? Should we start with a tame ride or a super-exciting one?"

"I'm actually a little hungry. How about we grab something to eat?"

"Aw, alright. Where's a good place to eat?"

"Let's grab a map and find out." Ischi said, pointing to a vendor nearby.

As Ischi and Kohi meandered off toward the vendor, a chill slid its way up Kohi's back. She looked around, feeling the presence of something watching her, but she could not find what it was. Shrugging it off, she ran to catch up with Ischi.

000

Meiya stared with intrigue up at a painting of Avatar Korra. The exhibit she was currently visiting had almost every known piece of information about Korra in it.

"Most of this is inaccurate." Said Korra's voice. Meiya looked beside her to see the transparent past Avatar looking up at the picture as well. "I can't remember where I'd put a door key for the life of me, and I could probably still tell you more about me than this museum can."

"Really?" Meiya asked, more intrigued at what Korra had to say now.

"Sure. This exhibit inaccurately placed Sokka and Suki as my grandparents. They're my actual parents. Hard to believe but it's true. Another thing is that…"

As Korra regaled Meiya with tales of her past, Zuko was in another section of the museum, surprised to find an exhibit that places the Fire Nation in Republic City history.

Currently, Zuko was reading a journal page from a Fire Nation soldier about his exploits in Republic City.

000

The Great Republic Civil War was unlike anything I had ever seen. Fire raged all around me. Everywhere I looked, I saw innocent citizens running from their lives away from the long-prejudiced Bendless Mercenaries, trained killers that didn't have any bending powers, and the Legion of Benders, those who were opposing and oppressing the Bendless. I was utterly shocked by how well the Bendless were holding up against us.

The Fire Nation was called in by the Republic City government, pleading for us to finish what Avatar Korra had tried to end. Now under-

000

"Zuko!" Meiya said, snapping her fingers in the Fire Prince's face.

"Huh? Yeah?" Zuko asked.

"You seem to be entertained. How are you enjoying the museum?"

"I think it's great. I didn't know the Fire Nation had so much to do with the history of Republic City."

"Well, Korra told me that most of the stuff about her here was inaccurate, so with that in mind, how much of the other Avatar related stuff here isn't true? I've lost interest. I actually want to go to that stupid amusement park that-"

Meiya stopped, her eyes focusing on something she didn't expect to ever see again.

"What? What is it?" Zuko asked, following Meiya's eyes and noticing the same thing.

"Is that..?"

"Yeah…" Meiya seethed. "It's that petty thief from back on Whale Tail Island. What is he doing here?"

"Small world, I guess." Zuko said.

Meiya took a couple of steps toward him before Zuko stopped her.

"Don't start anything, Meiya. He hasn't done anything to us here. As far as we know, he's completely clean and just visiting Republic City."

Meiya waited a few moments before snorting and walking for the door. Zuko followed.

"Well, my day is officially ruined. How about yours?"

"Not really. There's still the park, right?"

Meiya shrugged as she and Zuko exited the museum.

Inside, Kei glanced to where they were once standing.

"They're gone." he said.

The picture he was looking at began to churn and morph, until Reigo's face appeared.

"Why did you bring me to them?"

"To show you what you're in for." Reigo said. "Kei, you are going to teach the Avatar Earthbending."

000

"Yes! Republic City at last!" Twi screamed as she looked over the horizon at the metal city that loomed over the ship.

"Guys, guys! We're here!" Twi continued to yell as she ran back into the ship to inform the rest of the passengers.

000

Back at the Shadow Clan base camp, General Da Kai and his troop stood, looking over the horizon for something. And by the looks on their faces, it looks like it should've been there by now.

"Where is it? Waiting for it is becoming troublesome." One of the Shadowbenders hissed.

"Be patient. Even if it did come before schedule, we won't be able to do anything with it until our Sovereign sends her back-up troops to support us." Da Kai said. "But even so, I'm getting restless as well. It's late."

Da Kai and his troop continued to wait in silence, until eventually-

BOOM!

"What was that? Have we been discovered?" asked a Shadowbender, gearing himself to retaliate.

"Hmm…" Da Kai chuckled with a grin. "No, it's not that. He's arrived."

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

As the explosion-like sounds echoed throughout the plain, a huge shadow was suddenly cast over the field, even darker than the shadows produced by the darkened moon. Da Kai and the other Shadowbenders looked up at what was making the shadow. Some gasped. Others cheered. Da Kai just smiled.

A colossus of metal that looked vaguely human loomed over the Shadowbenders. This metal monster was much taller than anything that modern man could have even dreamed to have invented. Even when compared to the former gargantuan glory of the S.S Chaos, the groaning, grey beast was still impressive. Very impressive.

At the head of the machine, one massive violet eye was surrounded by mangled, pointy scraps of metal. This eye slowly turned itself down to the ant-like Shadowbenders below, and it began to produce a low, metallic groaning sound that wasn't intelligible.

"I don't know how Sovereign Kumori can understand you, but it doesn't matter. What matters is that you are here now, Devourer, and soon, we will be able to secure the victory of the Shadow Sovereignty!"

This declaration was met with several hoots and hollers from the other Shadowbenders there.

"Someone! Summon the portals and inform the Prince, Princess, and our Sovereign! Our time is nearing!"

Shadowbenders got into groups and conjured three trans-temporal portals. The first to make connection was Reigo.

"Royal Daughter, the time has come to return. The third Weapon of Discord has come back from its mission, as strong as it could be!"

"Thank you for informing me, but I still have loose ends to tie in Republic City. I will return as soon as I am able."

The conjurers nodded, then dispelled the portal.

"General, something must be interfering with our portal link. We're reaching Prince Kaizu, but we cannot see him or hear him. All we're getting s static."

"Hm, that would mean that he's either busy or dead, so he must be busy. What about our link to our Sovereign?"

"Nothing yet."

Moments later, the portal began to vibrate, and Kumori's face appeared.

"It is time, Milady. The Devourer has returned. When can we expect your backup forces?"

Kumori gave an evil, twisted smile.

"I have been waiting for this. Stand by for an important message from your Sovereign."

Kumori put her hood on her head and broke the connection to the portal.

Only moments later, the moon began to tremble in the sky. Suddenly, it began to rise, slowly at first, then quickly into the sky.

000

At the Southern Water Tribe, a celebration was being held to celebrate the return of the villagers lost for so long. As the cheerful party continued on, a strange sound stopped all others. The people of the Southern Water Tribe looked around to find the source of the surreal whooshing sound.

"Look!" yelled a Tribe child as he pointed up at the sky. The other villagers looked as well and gasped.

The permanent New Moon was beginning to swell noticeably in size. It also began to churn and swirl in its center.

000

The still-free cities of the Fire Nation also noticed the transforming moon. The sky began to darken, and the clouds were starting to move away from this transformation. Whatever was happening, it wasn't good.

000

Even in the Earth Kingdom, the moon drew curious and fearful eyes up to it. What was going to happen to them? Had the end of the world finally come upon them?

000

"What the-" Kei muttered with a furl of his eyebrows as he looked up at the darkening sky and the growing moon.

"Reigo… What are you up to now..?"

000

"What's happening? Why'd it get so dark?" Su Li asked, looking around. Twi, Ara, and the other evacuated New Zuko children asked themselves the same question. They hadn't departed the docked ship for more than ten minutes before weird stuff starting happening to them again.

"Oh, my!" Twi gasped, pointing up at the sky.

Ara and Su Li gasped in turn when they looked up at the sky and moon.

"What's going on? Is this the Shadowbenders' doing?" Ara considered.

000

"What the heck is that?" asked Meiya as she began to notice the rising moon as well. Zuko followed Meiya's eyes and squinted.

"This must be the work of the Shadowbenders."

"Guys, guys!" yelled Khole's voice. Meiya and Zuko turned to see their Energybender ally sprinting toward them. "Have you seen the moon? Something big is going down!"

"We know. Where are Kohi and Ischi?" Zuko asked.

"I'll go and find them." Meiya said.

"No, wait. They know where to meet us. Let's go to the hotel. If Ischi and Kohi feel the same way we do, they should already be there."

The divided TeaMeiya began to run, dodging past frightened pedestrians. When they finally reached the hotel, they were relieved to see that Ischi and Kohi were standing at the entrance, staring up at the moon.

"Ischi!" Zuko called out.

"Zuko!" Ischi cried back, running up to him and hugging him. "Zuko, what's going on?"

"I don't know Ischi, I don't know."

All of a sudden, the moon pulsed outward, and a giant face, shadowed by a black hood, appeared on it.

"Attention, citizens of the world of the past! This is the All-Powerful Sovereign of the future Shadow Sovereignty, Kumori, speaking above your heads."

"Kumori?" Kohi stammered in fear.

"I am sending you this message to inform you of your coming destruction. My Shadow Clan warriors have gathered more than enough power to bring the Republic City to the ground, but just to make sure that no one will think to oppose us, I am preparing to send a massive army of troops to the ground to assist my already-grounded forces in crushing you all. In only ten short days, your world's Day of Destruction, D-Day, will come.

After the destruction of Republic City, your world's strongest and most well-defended piece of land, we will work our way to the four corners of the Earth, until our Shadow has spread over your entire world. Not one of you lowly, primitive Benders is safe from us. In your position, you have two choices: surrender to us and be enslaved for all time, or try and fail to fight us, and perish slowly and painfully. It is your choice, but whatever you decide, know that you can't win. The clock is ticking, counting down to our complete victory and your complete Armageddon!

And before I leave you in terror, if Avatar Meiya and her team of wretches are listening, we know where you are and we know where you'll go if you try to run. You can't hide from us. I can tell you that you will survive D-Day, but not for very long after… And Meiya, I know what you're fighting inside of you. You won't win that battle either. Your own personal darkness will overcome you five days after D-Day, fifteen days from now, and if you don't believe me, ask the one you know as your spirit guide.

Farewell, people of the past, and I won't tell you good luck, for the outcome of this momentous battle has already been decided."

And with one powerful, malevolent laugh, Kumori's face began to swirl and vanish. The moon rapidly shrunk down to its original size and flew back down to its original place in the sky.

After Kumori's message, the entire world began to talk in fear at once, discussing what was just heard.

"What are we going to do, Meiya? It sounds like Kumori and her army are going to be really hard to beat!" Kohi shuddered.

"Our job is never an easy one, is it? But it doesn't matter. We always come back on top, no matter what! The Gaang defeated Fire Lord Ozai, right? I'm sure that was hard. And how much power can the Shadow Sovereignty have?"

"All we can do is hope for the best and expect the worst." Zuko said.

"And that means that we have to learn Earthbending and Firebending fast." Meiya said with a stretch of her arms and a crack of her neck.

"Meiya, no one can learn and master Earthbending and Firebending in ten days! It's impossible!" Ischi said sadly.

"I beg to differ. I learned and mastered Waterbending in five seconds, real-time."

"You took five HUNDRED years in the Spirit World to learn all you do about Waterbending, and you've still barely used any of it.

"That's not the point. The point is, anything is possible. If I can learn and master Waterbending in five seconds, taking five days to learn all I can about Earthbending, and five more to learn all I can about Firebending should be no trouble for me. Now, let's go guys. We're going to need a good night's sleep if we're going to start my hardcore Earthbending training tomorrow."

Meiya turned and walked into the hotel. The rest of TeaMeiya looked at each other with concerned looks, then followed Meiya inside.

**(A/N: Oh, man. Oh, man. OH, MAN! It's going down now! Kumori has declared WAR! TeaMeiya may not see what the Shadow Sovereignty has in store for them, but you guys have, and it doesn't look good, does it? So tell me in your review, my friends, at first glance, does it seem like TeaMeiya can win the war against Kumori, the Shadow Sovereignty Army, and the Devourer? Why or why not?**

**Now, before I go, I'd like to send out a special apology to Avatard129… This dedicated fan sent me a message concerning my negligence to update the story that broke my heart. It was that message that got me riled up for writing! I swear, if Avatard hadn't sent me that message, I don't know when this chapter would've come, and I think I owe Avatard, and all of my fans, an apology and an explanation.**

**Those who are reading this from the East Coast must be familiar with the snowstorms that we've had two weeks ago. Those snowstorms kept me out of school and away from writing in the computer lab. Not only that, when I was in school, I was so crammed with work, I didn't have time to write.**

**I also have to put partial blame for my negligence on a game… Ever heard of Wizard101? Those who have a subscription to that can guess why haven't been committed to the story. That game is SUPER ADDICTIVE, I swear! I only recently completed the latest level of the game, and have nothing else to do with it right now.**

**Anyway, there's my explanation. I hope you can forgive me, Avatard… I promise, I'll do better from now on! This story will not die! I promised myself that when I started it, and I plan on keeping that promise! Amen? AMEN! Goodnight, everybody! See you next chapter! ^^)**


	35. Hiatus, Again

Okay, guys. It's apparent that I won't be able to progressively work on chapters with everything that's going on in my life right now. With all this stuff going on in school, as well as at home, I'm finding absolutely no time for chapter work. Besides that, I'm beginning to lose my zest for the story. I know, it's sad…

I know why, though. Reviews. I'm barely getting any review circulation anymore. Reviews are what pumped me up and got me to writing and finishing half a chapter in a day. Now that the reviews are coming in slower and slower, to where there are almost NO reviews in between chapters, besides aguywithnorealaccount and TeamAvatar, who I love ever so dearly. Seriously, I love you guys, and I'm sorry it's coming to this.

Ooh, that sounded a little more tragic than it was supposed to. Sorry. Anyway, I'm putting the story on another hiatus, just until I can get my stuff together and be able to focus on FanFiction.

I'm begging you guys, now… If you don't want the story to die, please review… I would hate myself forever if I let this story die, and others would probably hate me, too…

This is my all-time favorite story on FanFiction. Please don't let it die… Just review. It's not that hard, it's not that complicated. Review, telling me that you don't want the story to die and why you don't want it to die. Review, telling me what you love about the story, or even what you hate. Tell me what I can do to make it better. Tell me SOMETHING that will get me pumped to start writing again.

Only you guys can get me out of my funk. I'm begging you, please review!

Thank you all readers. I love all of you, from the bottom of my heart, and I know you're all reading. Please…


	36. I'm Back, Baby! MidSeason Q&A 2a

Me: Hello, all, and welcome to the official revival of Avatar: Rise of the Shadowbenders!

-loud applause!-

Me: Joining us today are the main cast!

-loud applause!-

Me: The Shadow Sovereignty!

Audience: Boo!

Kumori: Oh, hush!

Me: And Kei!

-crickets-

Kei: Gee, tough crowd…

Me: Today will be a special edition of MidSeason Q&A! It's our first double feature! This episode will be to get the current views of our cast. In between this chapter and the next, I'll allow you, the viewers to ask any spicy, saucy, or otherwise good, pressing questions that I'll force the cast to answer.

-clapping-

Me: Alright, let's get this rolling, then! We'll start with Meiya. First, how do you feel about the revival or the hiatus?

Meiya: Hrm… The downtime was stress-relieving, but I'm glad to be getting back in action soon. I can't wait to kick some Shadowbender tail! And trust me, plenty will be kicked. –winks at Reigo-

Kohi: My turn! I was really sad that we were taking a break! Things are just starting to get good, now! I can't guarantee that we'll win… But I can guarantee that if we DO go down, we'll go down fighting harder than we ever have before!

-wild applause-

Zuko: I concur. The D-Day War is our, as well as the world's, biggest challenge yet. This one day in history may be bigger than the entire Century War.

Ischi: Yup. It may look grim, but we can do anything!

Me: Reigo, Kumori, Kaizu? How do you guys feel about the D-Day War?

Kumori: Well, of course we're going to win! Are you people stupid? We have a giant army, a giant robot, and a giant… uh, army!

Reigo: Don't forget, you have me and Kaizu! We'll set these primitives straight!

Kaizu: …

Me: Anything to add, Kaizu?

Kaizu: Uh… Hrm… I guess Mother and Reigo covered most of it…

Meiya: Give it up, Kumori! You're not going to win!

Kumori: Oh, really? You want to bet on it?

Meiya: I do, actually! Let's see who the populace supports more!

Me: That's actually a good idea, Meiya. Readers, in order to- Oof! *thump!*

Meiya: Yo, readers! If you want to weigh in on who YOU think will win the D-Day War, go to SH10's profile and cast your vote: TeaMeiya or the Shadow Sovereignty! And you'd BETTER make the right choice or I'm hunting you down!

Me: You can also talk about it in the reviews using the little button on the bottom of this page. All opinions are welcome. Now, Meiya, take your seat. NOW!

Meiya: Hmph!

Me: Now, there are our views, but before we go, I'm going to leave you with another fun little question. Here goes. About a month ago, I asked you to complete a sentence about who Kaizu was with the silliest thing you could think of, but now this is a completely serious question. Who do you REALLY think Kaizu is?

Kaizu: Huh? What do you mean who I REALLY am? I'm Kumori's son.

Kumori: …

Me: It's an inside joke. Roll with it.

Kaizu: Alright, then. If you say so.

Me: Leave an answer to this completely serious question in your review! The closer for the question submission is next Friday, but I don't know how long it will take for me to submit the next chapter after next Friday. It'll all depend on how many awesome questions I get, so if you want the next chapter to be super-awesome, super-funny, and just plain SUPER, review with the best questions you have! Reviews will also pump me up to write, so if you want the chapter to come faster, reviews are the best way to make that happen!

And remember, we have all of the main cast, all of the Shadow Sovereignty, and Kei here. Send in questions for them!

Meiya: That's all for this MidSeason Q&A!

Kohi: Seeya next time!

Kumori Or else!

All: BYE!


	37. MidSeason Q&A 2b

Me: Welcome back! Did you miss us? Of course you did! We sure missed you guys, didn't we?

Meiya: Meh.

Reigo: Not really.

Me: O…kay, nice to see that we all have big, welcoming smiles! Now, before we get this show on the road, I have an announcement to make. I am in the process of shaping a NEW STORY!

-applause!-

Meiya: New story? You're replacing us?

Me: No, of course not, Meiya! I could never replace you guys, and I know I don't usually work on two projects at once. It's just that this crossover has been on my mind for quite some time now, and if I keep it there anymore, my head could burst, then nobody wins.

Ischi: Crossover?

Me: That's right! I'm developing my FIRST real crossover story here on FF. I will be crossing two of my favorite game series that I believe go perfect together: Metroid and Dead Space!

Kumori (brightening): Dead Space? Seriously?

Me: As serious as a heart attack. For those of you unfamiliar with either series, I'm taking a moment to explain both.

Metroid is set at an unspecified period in the future, featuring 6' 3" femme fatale sexy bounty hunter Samus Aran, whose parents were killed by alien pirates. She spends her days searching and destroying those pirates, right down to their leader, Ridley. After succeeding, she spends her time now kicking alien ass as a hobby.

Dead Space is set 500 years in the future, after Earth ran out of its resources. To fix this, human colonies invented 'planet-cracking', that is, blowing up (uninhabited) planets and taking its resources. While cracking a planet known as Aegis VII, an undetected alien life form found its way onto the largest of the planet-cracker ships, the USG Ishimura and killed a woman, infecting her corpse and turning her into a raging zombie known as a Necromorph. This created a domino effect, and soon the entire ship was infected, except for a few survivors, as well as Isaac Clarke, a miner/engineer who has to use what he has to escape the ship, which is not a lot.

Both series are a lot more complex than I let on, but if you want to find out more about either, check out their respective wikis.

The story already has a title, Metroid: Whole Again.

Kohi: Ooh! Creepy!

Me: It will be a horror/action story. I can't give you a date for release, since it's still being developed.

Kumori: Sounds good. Definitely something I would read.

Reigo: Here, here.

Me: And one more announcement… Unfortunately, school is going into overdrive, since it's the last quarter. I'm struggling to keep up with school and to keep up with A:RotS, but it's really hard. Pray for me, guys!

Phew, alright, now on to business. Our first comment concerning you lot came from georgster101. He says that he's from farther in the future than the Sovereignty and if Kisi or Kaizu dies, he'll drop a big ol' can of whoop-ass on you two with his own futuristic weapons.

Kumori: Why, that piece of-

Me: He also warns not to give a snarky reply.

Kumori: -surrounds herself in shadow and shrinks down into a little girl's body- You wouldn't hurt a pwetty wittle face wike mine, would you? Now wisten. You can make all the wittle cwaims you'd wike, but you still have no idea what I can do. I can be a big, fat meanie if I choose to. And twust me, you don't want me to turn into a big, fat meanie on you. I can be vewy scawy as a big, fat meanie. Oh, I weally, weally hope I didn't sound snawky. I don't want you to hurt me! –morphs back-

Did he say anything else?

Me: -shiver- Yes, he did, actually. I don't think you want to hear it, though.

Kumori: Read it!

Me: Alright. He said his robot was bigger than yours, that he had a giant robot-killing laser, told you not to kill pandas, that he's from the 666th century, and that you suck in l33tspeak.

Kumori: Alright, hear me now, you little mother%^*)&! Nothing would please me more than seeing you confront me on D-Day with whatever future techno-bull$&!* you have. Hey, listen, how about I (censored) and (more censored, geez, you HAVE to hear this), you stupid (still censored, she's really letting him have it). -pant, pant- Phew, I'm done.

All: -cringe-

Me: Well, gee, if you can do that to a dude's manhood, I don't think ANYBODY would want to confront you. Alright, our second question from georgster is for Ischi and Zuko. He asked when you two will be getting married.

Zuko: After we win the D-Day War and silence the Shadowbenders for good!

Ischi: Yeah!

Kumori: You're not going to win! Do you see the kind of firepower we have? We will bury Republic City and begin our reign over the Ear-

Me: Yeah, yeah, next question. Here's one for Kaizu from georgster. Why are you a Shadowbender if you're such a nice guy?

Kaizu: It comes with the package of being the son of the Shadow Sovereign. I'm forced to be a Shadowbender, unless TeaMeiya can pull through.

Kumori: Is that treason I sense in your tone?

Kaizu: Of course not, Mother…

Meiya: When are we going to get some questions for US? I'm putting down roots over here!

Me: Alright, Meiya. Here's a question for everyone. An excellently spicy query from TeamAvatar: What was the most embarrassing off-screen incident that occurred for each of you?

Reigo: Does TeamAvatar mean off-screen or behind-the-scenes bloopers?

Me: I'm thinking she means behind the scenes. Who wants to start?

-crickets-

Me: Meiya, since you're so eager to answer a question, why don't you go first?

Meiya: Of course… Um, let's see. I guess my most embarrassing blooper was filming that scene with the Southern Raiders when Kosa was cutting the net. On one take, he cut the net right, but he also cut through my outfit. I stood there, bare-chested for about seven full seconds before I realized what had happened.

Kohi: You think THAT'S your most embarrassing off-screen moment? What about the Floating Prison scene with you in the S.S Chaos?

Meiya: No! Don't talk about it!

Me: Come on, Meiya. Out with it.

Meiya: Sigh. During that scene, when I was supposed to cross my legs and poke out my chest to keep my clothes from falling off, during one take, I missed my cue by a half a second and my clothes really DID fall off. I tried to scream for the captain to cut the scene, but I was unintelligible through the gag in my mouth. Worse yet, SH kept the scene rolling even after she saw what I was going through!

Me: I actually still have the tape. For everyone in the audience, you each have a copy under your seats.

Meiya: WHAT? NO! YOU CAN'T DO THAT!

Me: Kohi? Your most embarrassing moment?

Kohi: Remember during The Southern Water Tribe At Last chapter, during the scene where I jumped up and down, pointing to our destination? Well, one take, a bird actually flew into my stomach, thrashed around, and somehow found its way into my pants. I screamed in surprise, but it actually tickled a lot.

Me: -cringe- That sounds wonderful… Anything for you, Zuko?

Zuko: Me and Ischi actually share a 'most embarrassing moment'. When making the 'Breakout' chapter, during a take, Ischi's metal staircase was a little faulty and it dove inward when we were at the midpoint. It gave us both extremely painful hanging wedgies.

Me: -cringe- Wow, I haven't cringed this much in one day since I played through Dead Space 1. Any for you, Khole?

Khole: Other than the multiple off-screen attempts to pacify animals, while failed and got the animals mad enough to eat my clothes off? Not really.

Me: Okay, then… -shiver- What about you guys, Shadow Sovereignty?

Reigo: All those times when I screwed up my shadow-swimming due to lack of focus. I was able to turn my body, not my clothes, into shadow whenever that happened. That always went over well for the male cast.

Kumori: Here, here. I have the same problem occasionally, but not as much as my daughter.

Me: You don't have an extremely embarrassing moment, Kumori?

Kumori: Not one that immediately comes to mind, no.

Me: How about you Kaizu? Kei?

Kei: I haven't been on-screen long enough to have an embarrassing moment.

Kaizu: I don't get embarrassed.

Me: e.O Wow. That's quite an anticlimactic end to that question. Now, onto the next, for Kumori. What's getting all that hate mail like, asked TeamAvatar.

Kumori: Ask him. –forms a pool of shadow on the ground and pulls out a skeleton- He was one of the haters who really pissed me off. I love tracking down my haters and killing them like this. It's like a heaping bowl of justice.

All: -CRINGE!-

Kumori: What? You all should know me by now.

Me: I'm starting to think that this is WORSE than Dead Space… Alright, Kei, Meiya, and Ischi, we're going back to the wooden room!

000

Meiya: H-Huh? Wooden room? What the- Hey! Where did we go? Where are we right now?

Ischi: We're in the same room where SH took me to ask me about my PRS situation.

Me: That's right. No one else can know about this little thing we have going on here yet, so keep this hush-hush to the others. First, for Kei. Have you really changed, since you're associating with Reigo?

Kei: I may not like associating with Reigo, but I value my life, so I'm kind of forced to. She's told me that I'm expendable.

Meiya ad Ischi: -cringe-

Me: And how do you feel about Ischi's little secret, Meiya? TeamAvatar would like to know.

Meiya: I was freaked out at first, that she was keeping this secret, then amazed that she could keep it a secret for so long without exploding, then impressed with her strength in trying to keep the secret. I'm kind of on level ground about it now; I'm still trying to help her work it out. Hey, I just thought of something. Why is Kei here? He's not part of the secret, is he?

Ischi: -cringe-

Kei: I figured it out earlier than you did. I knew Ischi before all this started, and I'm trying to help her, as a friend.

Meiya: Hrm, sounds about right. But what about-

Me: Ischi, TeamAvatar would like to know how your feelings are toward Kei now.

Ischi: Kei and I… We're on sort of a level ground right now. I'm still a little buggy, but I feel that, for the most part, I can trust him… to keep helping me through this, because that's why he's here.

Me: Nice save.

Meiya: Huh?

Me: Nothing; I coughed. Now, back to the main room!

000

Meiya: Hrm? What? How'd we- But how- Wha..?

Me: Don't think too much on it. Now, onto Reigo's question. Who was the person you were chasing after several chapters ago, asked TeamAvatar.

Reigo: Remember this, early in the story? At the very end of the Season 1 Finale?

_"Freeze! Stop right there! Hey!" yelled angry voices. The woman turned and saw a young girl run past her, followed by several Shadowbenders._

_"Catch her! She's headed for the portal!"_

_The woman sighed, then sunk into the shadows, following the pack of guards._

_"Almost there! Almost there!" the girl panted to herself._

_"Almost isn't good enough." said the woman as she rose in front of the girl._

_"No, but THIS is!"_

_The girl took a small pouch out of her pocket and threw it on the ground. A large flash of light shot into the air, blinding the woman and allowing the girl to sidestep past her and jump through the portal._

_"Master, she could alter the course of history!" one Shadowbender said._

_"Don't worry about her. I'm sure that Reigo will keep her from doing anything too harmful. Get back to your posts. I'm awaiting a battle report at any time now."_

Reigo: I'm chasing that girl to keep the future from being altered. I can't tell you who she is, but you'll find out at the end of Season 2, which is a long ways away.

Me: Ah, interesting development. Now, our final and juiciest question from TeamAvatar. For Zuko, what's the sauciest thing you and Ischi have done since beginning your relationship?

Zuko: On or off-screen?

Me: Which is saucier?

Zuko: You remember when we were supposed to be making the restaurant scene during the first part of The Center of the Modern World, when me and Ischi disappeared?

Me: Yeah? Where were you guys, anyway?

Ischi: In the supply closet, vigorously loving each other.

Me: -cringe- R-Really? That's where you guys were?

Zuko: Yep. Still got bite scars on my chest. Wanna see them?

All: -CRINGE!-

Me: Urk… No thanks, dude. Well, it looks like that's it. No more questions to answer. I think this has been a successful MidSeason Q&A! But before I go, I have just come up with my promo for Metroid: Whole Again. Let's watch, shall we?

000

**Some…where… over the rainbow… Way up… high… There's a… land that I've heard of… once, in a lullaby…**

Dead silence blankets the large building, the main HQ of the Galactic Federation. The moaning of the air vents is the only thing that can be heard. A small thump can be heard coming from one of them.

**Some…where… over the rainbow… Skies… are… blue… And… the dreams that you… dare to dream… really do come… true…**

In one hallway of the building, a cascade of dead bodies litters the floor. Some look like they were killed. Others look like they've committed suicide. One dead man sits in the hallway corner, his arms and hands locked in the Unitology sign, even in death. If you look closely enough, even though he's clearly dead, you'll notice his shoulder twitching.

**Someday I'll wish upon a star… And… wake up where the clouds are… far behind… me…**

As the air vents continue to moan, the man's shoulder continues to twitch, growing more and more violent. Other bodies began to shift as well. One body even twitches its mouth into an inhuman sneer before his empty eyesockets snap open.

**Where troubles melt like… lemon drops… away… above the chimney tops… That's where… you'll… find… me…**

The bodies all over the hallway suddenly begin to change. Limbs morph and twist into unnatural positions, and faces twist and distort, letting out alien screeches as if they were enraged. Most of the human skin rapidly rots away, leaving only scraps of flesh over bare rotten muscle, organs, and protruding bones. In less than a minute, the entire hallway becomes a legion of Necromorphs.

**Some…where… over the rain…bow… Bluebirds… fly… Birds fly… over the… rainbow… Why, then… oh, why… can't… I..?**

The hallway is now almost empty. All of the Necromorphs have disappeared, except for the body of that one Unitologist man, and a massive torrent of blood spattered against the floor, walls, and ceiling. Frightened footsteps approach the hallway, and a Galactic Fed Soldier appears, his flashlight shuddering in his hand. He shines across the hallway, noticing the man, who was still twitching.

**If happy… little… bluebirds fly…**

"Hey, are you alright? How long have you been here?" the soldier asked the man, who had his head down, his shoulder continuing to spasm on an ominous loop. The man didn't respond to the soldier.

**Beyond… the rain…bow…**

The soldier snaps his fingers in the man's face, trying to get a response.

"Come on, buddy. Don't play games. We've got to get you out of here before-"

Suddenly, the man's twitching shoulder bursts open, sending a third fleshy, bone-bladed arm flying into the soldier's neck. He gurgled in surprise, his eyes widening and beginning to roll back into his head.

**Why… Oh… why…**

The Unitologist lifted his head, revealing his gruesome Necromorph face. One eye was missing, his teeth had rotten and elongated into twisted fangs, and the skin on either side of his mouth had been ripped apart into a freakish Glasgow smile.

The soldier gurgled again, hacking up an ocean of blood, before the Necromorph lunged forward with a screech.

**Can't… I…**

The hallway is empty again. The soldier and the Necromorph have vanished. From around the same corner, more footsteps. Then voices began to become distinct.

"Ugh, where are you taking us? We've passed this block three times already."

"Shut up. Isaac. I know this place better than you do. I know where we're going."

Two people appeared. One was a male wearing a helmetless Engineer's RIG, sporting black, sloppy hair, while the other was a blonde woman wearing a skintight blue bodysuit. Both looked about the hallway with disgust.

"No doubt about it; we're definitely going the right way now." Isaac said, a helmet forming together and latching onto his head.

"I'm holding my Power Suit right down in the next quadrant. Hopefully, those Ectomorphs haven't found it yet." the woman said.

"Let's hope." Isaac said, a blue light turning on inside the helmet, lighting up the eyeholes. As the two walked down the bloody hallway, Isaac turned to his companion.

"Oh, and Samus?"

"What?"

"They're called Necromorphs."

"That's what I said."

**Metroid… Whole Again… Coming soon to rock the world of FanFiction... Altman be damned...**

000

All: -CRINGE!-

Kohi: Wow, that was scary! I almost peed myself!

Kumori: That even freaked ME out, and nothing freaks me out!

Meiya: Are you kidding, that was AWESOME! I can't wait to read this one! You'd better make it soon, SH!

Me: It's still in developmental stage Alpha. That's just a little promo for ya! Next time I update, we'll be returning to the story, which will be quite a challenge since writer's block is killing me… But bear with me, I promise that I'll shape up with this story! So, until then, this is SH10-

Meiya: And cast!

Me: -signing out! Goodnight, everybody and happy Spring!


	38. Calm Before the Storm

**(A/N: Alright, readers. Here's the deal. Reigo told you a few chapters ago that Kei would be teaching Meiya Earthbending, not Ischi. Unfortunately, writer's block has won this round, and I'm forced to do something that I don't like doing: alter reality. Kei will not be teaching Meiya Earthbending, and you can exhale your breaths, because Zuko is not going to find out about Kei, at least not in Republic City.**

**I know both of these would've been great plot sequences to try and cover, but I'm not perfect. Writer's block affects me, too. I'm usually strong enough to fight it off, but not this time.**

**But don't let that get you down! The story must go on, and so it shall!)**

Beads of sweat dropped from Meiya's head to the dry earth as she leaned forward, panting heavily. Her eyes shifted to the left, noticing the sun gradually sinking beneath the waves.

"You don't have much time left, Meiya. Make your next move." Ischi's serious voice called, not far from Meiya.

The muddled Avatar looked up, steeling her nerves and standing straight up before taking an Earthbender pose.

Ischi twitched her eyes, then stomped on the ground, raising a chunk of earth, before pushing her hands forward, straight toward Meiya. Meiya pushed her own hands forward, stopping the flying boulder in midair.

Mimicking Ischi's movements, Meiya pushed her hands again and sent the boulder back at Ischi. The quick-acting princess clasped her hands together, smashing the boulder to pieces. Ischi then windmilled her arms, slowly at first, then much quicker. The chunks of earth began to spin around an invisible axis around Ischi's hands, before collecting into two spinning earth saws. Ischi shot both hands toward Meiya, causing the earth saws to fall to the ground and zoom away, throwing up lots of dirt as it travelled.

Meiya swept her hands against the ground, causing the earth saws to fly into the air. Meiya slightly clenched her fists and they stopped moving, but they didn't stop rotating.

With a grunt and a sweep of her arms to either side, Meiya caused the saws to fly away from her in both directions. With another grunt and a pull of her arms into her chest, the saws made an arc in their paths and began to fly toward Ischi.

Ischi leaped backward to avoid the blades, which made Meiya smile. When the spinning saws collided, they erupted in a giant cloud of harmless dust and dirt.

Ischi gasped at Meiya's skill with her earth, then immediately began to cough. Meiya flexed her hands and made waving motions with them, causing the dust cloud to begin to swirl around Ischi. Then Meiya pounded her fists together and yelled out. All of a sudden, the dust cloud compressed into a sphere of earth, which trapped her.

Meiya lifted her hand into the air, causing the earth sphere to fly up with it. Once it was high enough, Meiya slammed her lam down to the ground, opting the earth sphere to follow and smash Ischi against the earth.

As the dust settled, Ischi stood, panting. There was a bloody spot on her temple, and her shoulder looks dislocated. She raised her good arm in defeat.

"I concede… You've won, Meiya…" she said with a proud smile.

Meiya looked again to the sky and saw just the tip of the sun setting. Only seconds later, the sun completely vanished, and the world was dark.

Zuko, Kohi, and Khole cheered from the other side of the earthy field, running toward the two combatants.

"I've seen and mimicked a lot of amazing Earthbending techniques, but none so fantastic as yours. What was that, Meiya?" Ischi asked, standing up straight, taking a deep breath, and cracking her shoulder back into place.

"Oh, you mean the Dustbending? Just something I made up and practiced yesterday. I combined my Airbending and Earthbending power to control the dust in the air."

"But that would require bending every granule of dust you command! Not even Great-Granny Toph could hope to do something like that!"

"Not really, I just focused my Earthbending power on the general area of the dust and used Airbending to change the shape of the air around it.

"Well, I guess there's no chance of me perfecting that technique. Congrats, anyway, Meiya. I didn't think it'd be possible, but in just five days, you've gone from a novice to doing the stuff of Earthbending legend."

"And Earthbending was supposed to be my most difficult element to learn! Imagine what I can do with Firebending!"

"We'll have to save that for tomorrow. Right now, I think it's high time we all take a nice rest and grab something to eat."

"Here here!" Kohi chimed. Kisi chattered in agreement on Kohi's shoulder.

Taking one last look back at the open ocean, then up at the incredibly swelled moon, Meiya gave a sly smile, then turned to catch up with her teammates.

000

Kaizu was anything but happy at the moment.

Just minutes ago, he heard his beacon that he carried around, signaling the coming of D-Day. He knew that he had no choice but to ship himself back to the base camp to head the oncoming army with Reigo. Failing to do so would not hinder the invasion at all, but it would not be beneficial or healthy for Kaizu.

Kaizu walked down through the city, dully noting the ship stationed at the dock. He had almost reached the dock when a voice called out.

"Kaizu!"

'Miye?' Kaizu thought, turning around and seeing the woman who brought more light to his path running up to him.

Kaizu opened his mouth to speak, but Miye interrupted.

"Kaizu, I know you've told me already… But I just can't let you leave!" she cried, walking up to him and looking up at his spectacled face.

"I have to, Miye… My own people need me."

"Kaizu, you're not that kind of person. You don't kill; you don't destroy. You're kind and compassionate. If I didn't know any better, I'd say that you weren't a Shadowbender. You're better than they are, Kaizu."

"That may be, but I have loyalties to uphold. It's not just my people that need me; my family does as well."

Kaizu turned and walked up the dock. He was almost to the ship when Miye spoke up again.

"A couple of days ago, when you were away with other business in the city, I was very ill. I had no idea what was wrong, so I went to the doctor with my kids. The doctor gave me all sorts of tests before finally reaching a diagnosis."

Kaizu stopped, but he didn't turn around. Miye continued.

"I'm in the earliest conceivable stages, but there's no denying it. I'm pregnant, Kaizu, and there's no doubt that you're the father. You say that your family needs you, Kaizu. I, we, are your family now." Miye said, touching her stomach.

Kaizu turned, his heart and his mind twitching violently in his body. His mind twitched just a little bit more as he remembered his mother and his sister's dire warnings.

"Miye…" he started, before walking up toward her. "I will be back, I promise you. I will be the father that our child needs. But at this moment, for the next week, I cannot be here. My own future and your future requires it. I solemnly swear, I will return to you."

Miye's eyes began to water as Kei turned and walked onto the ship. The tears rolled down her faces as the ship slowly pulled out into the dark ocean…

000

Kumori walked slowly through the moaning, metal hallways of an unknown, underground building. Reigo walked beside her.

"Soon, daughter. Soon, the world of the past will be ours and our future will be saved."

"History is not an easy opponent to fight, Mother. What are you going to do, should your invasion fail?"

"I have already planned for this. Though it is unlikely, should the assault fail, I will be forced to activate the TSD and will launch another invasion."

"How will you know that the result will be any different?" Reigo questioned.

"Because the soldiers I have for the second assault will be much more effective than my human soldiers."

"What do you mean? These secondary soldiers are not human?"

Kumori shook her head.

"Well, if they're so effective, why don't you use those soldiers instead of the human soldiers?"

"They are far too destructive. Using them without activating the TSD will astronomically alter the course of history, and activating the machine without a definite cause could tear a fabric in the space-time continuum."

"What, exactly, are these super-soldiers?"

"I'll show you." Kumori said, taking Reigo into an elevator and sending them to a lower floor. "They're called Nithlings. I created them myself, using just a small fraction of my dark energy. The result was marvelous; a race of creatures I could be proud of."

"You're implying that you created this entire army out of a small fraction of your energy?"

"How small do you think my energy level is?

"Well, how large is your army?"

As Reigo asked this, the elevator doors opened onto a railed ledge that hung over an incredibly large room.

"Well, I haven't been able to take a full head count…" Kumori said.

Reigo's eyes widened as she saw the floor of the room below. It was completely black, crawling with chattering masses of inky creatures with glowing red eyes and mouths. They seemed to be made entirely out of living shadow.

"But, if I had to give a guess, I'd say it's about 1.5 million soldiers, from just a tiny fraction of my power." Kumori finished.

"This is amazing… Nothing would be able to withstand an onslaught of these Nithlings."

"Exactly. I'm hoping it doesn't have to come to this, but if push comes to shove, we're going to have to unleash these creatures. We must make sure that the Lightbender never arrives, and to do that, we must assure that the first Shadowbender is born first." Kumori said, looking down with pride on her 'children'.

"She must be reborn soon, or none of us will come out of it." Kumori said lastly, turning and walking into the elevator, leaving Reigo to gape in awe at the massive Nithling army.

000

Days later, as the sun sank beneath the waves, Meiya and Zuko stood before each other on the same plot of land where Meiya and Ischi sparred five days before. All around, the ground was scorched and blackened.

"Very good, Meiya. In just five short days, you've grasped all you can about Firebending." Zuko said.

Meiya nodded.

"Now, show us what you've learned." Zuko said, looking back at the other three and stepping back.

Meiya closed her eyes and breathed outward. A second later, her eyes opened again and she raised her hand to the sea, causing a pillar of water to rise. Behind, her, she stomped on the ground and erected a similar pillar of earth. With a cringe and a sweep of both of her hands into the air on either side of her, Meiya rose up a tower of fire on one side and a raging tornado on the other. Tall structures of all four elements swirled on all sides of Meiya.

"I think I'm ready." Meiya said with a smile once she lowered her elemental towers.

"Everyone's ready." Ischi said. "All of the colonies in the Fire Nation and the Earth Kingdom that are still free have sent their best fighters, and villagers from the Southern Water Tribe are sending experienced healers to aid in battle."

"Our ten days have passed. We should be expecting Kumori and her army pretty-"

Before Meiya could finished, a clap of dark thunder streaked through the air. TeaMeiya looked to the sky and saw that the moon was churning again. Another clap of shadowy thunder struck the ocean.

"What's going on? What's happening?" Kohi yelled.

Meiya took her glider and flew up into the air. Ischi raised a dais of earth and transported the others with it.

Meiya landed on the wall of Republic City, looking out into the distance. One the ocean, ships of all sizes with the Shadow Clan mark cut through the water, quickly approaching the city. In the air, the moon trembled, then released another clap of dark thunder. Afterwards, small dark meteors shot out of the moon and headed straight for the city. As the approached the ground, the shadows took form and the cloud of meteors in the sky soon turned into a mass of Shadowbenders on the ground. Heading this land force were Reigo and Kaizu, charging full speed toward the city wall.

"Time's up, it looks like." Ischi said with a gulp.

"No worries! With a little work, we can take out this army before Republic City gets the half of it." Meiya said confidently. She flinched and looked to the sea when she heard a loud, metal groan.

Coming from the distance was a giant humanoid sculpture of metal, stomping toward the city. Though it was extremely sluggish, each giant step brought it much closer to the city than it had been a step earlier.

"It's hopeless! Nothing in our arsenal is enough to take down something of that size! Even if we do beat the army, there's no chance of us beating THAT thing, too!" Khole yelled.

"Hrm… I'll deal with the metal monster. You guys help our army hold off the Shadowbenders."

"Meiya, are you crazy? You seriously think you can take on that thing alone?" Zuko protested.

"No, but do you have any other ideas? I'm just going to try and distract it; you know, lead it away from the city."

"Yeah, but once it eventually finds its way here, what then?" Ischi asked.

"It's a work-in-progress. I'll think of something; trust me." Meiya said. "Good luck, you guys."

And with that, Meiya leaped into the air and extended her glider, soaring as fast as she could toward the creature, who was approaching the land.

**(A/N: It has begun! D-Day is here, and right out of the box, it's not looking bright for TeaMeiya! Will they pull through? Can Meiya distract The Devourer long enough for the Three Nations Army to beat back the Shadowbenders? Who are the 'Lightbender' that Kumori wants to stop from destroying her future? Should they win, would TeaMeiya be able to withstand the chaotic wrath of the Nithlings? Will I ever stop asking these pulse-pounding questions? Find out next chapter: The Dusk of War! Until then, this is SH10, enjoying a ROCKIN' Spring Break! See ya!)**


	39. The Dusk of War

**(: Begin transmission :**

**Kumori: Hello, readers. I know you probably expected to see your beloved Shadowheart10's words here, but not today. Shadowheart10 is… busy right now.**

**Me (muffled): Hrmf! Hrmhmrf!**

**Kumori: Quiet, you! Anyways… I am sending you this transmission in an attempt to destroy whatever hope of a bright future you think your precious protagonists. You can thank a little friend named georgester101 for opting me to send this to you.**

**This information was not to be given to you until Book 3, but in lieu of *Hrm hm!* recent insulting remarks, let me tell you this now:**

**Even if this battle is lost, which is unlikely, the timestream will not be altered. We have the power of our greatest piece of quantum machinery on our side, built from schematics that were stolen from a future even farther in time than my Sovereignty. The TSD, which has been referenced before, is extremely dangerous and can only be used once. The letters stand for Temporal Stasis Device, and I think you can piece together what that means.**

**Upon using it, I myself will be forced to travel to the past and take it over myself, with my Nithlings in tow. And no light has the strength to destroy my beautiful creatures besides that of the Lightbender, who will not be born if I have anything to say about it. The Nithlings are virtually indestructible! And if my Nithlings fail, or if I have unexpected visitors before the second invasion, I have many more tricks up my sleeves.**

**So laugh all you want if I lose the first battle. I'LL be having the last laugh when the second invasion plunges your world into darkness!**

**Another thing Shadowheart wanted to mention: You're going to see something at the end of this chapter that WILL shock and surprise you, and leave you biting your nails wondering what will happen next, I guarantee it! But don't worry too much. There's nothing to be afraid of… yet.**

**: End Transmission :)**

Meiya squinted against the sharp winds as she soared on her glider toward The Devourer, who lumbered slowly and emotionlessly through the water. As Meiya flew, the Shadow Sovereignty ships below began firing giant metal balls at her. Meiya dodged these easily and continued to close the distance.

"Here goes nothing!" Meiya yelled as she swept her hand through the air and sent billows of powerful winds at the metal giant. The initial strike didn't have any effect. As Meiya flew upward toward the creature's body, she used Earthbending to raise slabs of rock from the ocean floor and threw them at it. Again, it barely seemed to faze the Devourer. Meiya growled in frustration. None of what she was doing worked.

All of a sudden, ports opened on the Devourer's chest and giant clawed tentacles made of flexible metal shot out and tried to grab at Meiya, who could just barely dodge them.

"Ugh! This is ludicrous!" Meiya screamed as she weaved back and forth in the sky.

000

Upon reaching the mainland, Kaizu, Reigo, and the rest of the army began to run at full speed toward the Republic City wall. Meanwhile, the Three Nations Army began to form a thick wall in front of the gate. Up on the wall, the other four members of TeaMeiya watched, anticipating the battle. Zuko looked to the sky as the sound of a hawk pierced the air. He reached out his arm as a Fire Nation messenger hawk alighted on his arm.

Zuko frowned as he read the message attached to its leg.

"Unfortunately, the Fire Nation war machines won't be coming. The capital… it's under siege."

"Does that mean…" Ischi started. Zuko shook his head.

"I don't know, but after this, I'm getting some answers. My father is too strong and too stubborn to be taken down by just anybody."

"The armies are clashing. Should we get ready to jump in?" Khole asked.

"Only if the Three Nations Army starts getting pushed back. If any of us get hurt before we're needed, it'll only be worse for the whole-"

"Look out!" Kohi yelled.

Zuko barely dodged the ball of black fire as it flew past his ear. A second later, two black-clad forms leaped high away from the battlefield, straight toward the gate. One of them tackled Zuko and sent him flying off of the wall.

"Zuko!" Ischi yelled, jumping after them.

The other form fired a ball of shadow at the wall, exploding on contact. This explosion jarred Kohi and Khole from the wall and sent them flying toward the ground.

Reigo landed on the wall and looked down at her opponents, slowly picking themselves up and gearing themselves for battle.

"It's been a while, kiddies." Reigo called with a smile. "Ready to play?"

000

Meiya dodged as best as she could, but eventually it became impossible to make progress. The thick, metallic vines were getting just too difficult to evade.

"Ugh, time for Plan B!" she growled, flying downward. Taking a deep breath, she tensed up her arms at the ocean, causing it to churn underneath her. With a shout and a raise of her hands, Meiya caused a hollow column of water to rise around her, and she began her ascent once again. The Devourer's single violet eye became confused. The target had disappeared and just a wall of water was rising toward it. Becoming suspicious, it put its clawed metal tentacles back into action and randomly clawed at the water column. Not one of the tentacles even came close to hitting Meiya. When Meiya reached the Devourer's face, she dispelled the water column, staring daggers into the giant metal beast's eye.

'Avatar Aang, I need power! Anything you can spare, you must give it to me, please!' Meiya thought quickly.

'Ask and you shall receive, young Avatar.' Aang said from within Meiya's mind. 'Think about the Breath of Fire and make it a big one.'

Meiya closed her eyes and breathed in deeply. When she roared as loud as she could into the Devourer's face, a gigantic plume of flames escaped, engulfing the Devourer's entire head. Meiya was able to sustain this amazing Breath of Fire for almost a full fifteen seconds before gasping.

As the smoke cleared from around the Devourer, Meiya gasped to see that it had barely done a thing! The Devourer's head was red hot and steaming, but it was not damaged at all. Its eye had gone dark, but a moment later, the violet glow returned.

Meiya was taken completely by surprise as a claw grabbed her leg and began to flail her, making her drop her glider as it retracted back into a staff. She struggled against the beast, firing gales of wind at its still-steaming face.

One lucky shot flew into the Devourer's giant helmet and struck its eye, causing it to go dark again. The Devourer made a shrill, deep, and metallic groan, as if in pain. Its eye flickered on and off for a few seconds, before becoming steady again.

The Devourer used its claw to raise Meiya high into the air before throwing her toward the ocean at a blinding speed.

Meiya screamed as she rocketed toward the earth, with no way to use her Airbending to stop, or even slow herself down. She was closing in fast on the ocean and it seemed inevitable that death was awaiting her at the end of her free-fall.

000

Zuko and Ischi struggled to keep up with Kaizu's powerful onslaught of Shadow Firebending techniques. Ischi tried her best to defend the both of them, while Zuko used every opportunity he had to counterattack, which were very few and very far between.

"Why are you doing this?" Ischi yelled. "What are you gaining from fighting us?"

"I'm just following orders; I have nothing against you people." Kaizu sad calmly, pausing for an instant. Zuko seized the moment and lunged toward Kaizu.

The spectacled adversary quickly retaliated, countering Zuko's fire blast with one of his own. Zuko leaped back just in time to avoid being fried by the black flames that consumed all others.

Ischi fired clod after clod of hard earth, but Kaizu's black flames seemed to melt them like ice.

"How can we beat him if we can't even touch him?" Ischi said in frustration.

"You can't, and you won't." Kaizu said, sweeping his hand and sending a thick wave of black flames at the both of them.

000

Kohi and Khole were not having an easier time battling Reigo. She easily dodged their strikes and threw some punches and kicks of her own when she found openings, which were often.

"Ha! You might as well be moving in slow motion!" Reigo mocked, leaping into the air, taking a big blob of shadow with her. Reigo shaped the blob into a ball before shrinking and concentrating it into the size of an orange. Reigo then threw the shadow ball down at Kohi and Khole.

When it struck the ground, the ball exploded with such force that it rumbled the city wall, which was several meters away. Kohi and Khole were sent flying in opposite directions. Neither had an easy time getting up.

"Ugh… What WAS that? It felt like I got kicked in the stomach by six Earthbenders…

"I call it my Force Bomb. All the power, half the mass, twice the effectiveness." Reigo called. "Now get up! We're not through here!"

Khole's entire body stung as she tried to stand.

'This is going to be our toughest fight yet…' she thought grimly.

000

Meiya continued to scream as she streaked through the sky, aiming straight toward the ocean. Suddenly, something in the air caught her eye.

"My glider!" Meiya screamed, trying to swim through the air to reach it. She extended her arm, straining to get a grip on her lifeline.

When she finally grabbed it, Meiya opened it and pulled out of her nosedive, mere moments before smacking into the sea. She still kept all of her speed as she zoomed over the ocean, kicking up giant waves as she went.

Meiya saw the Shadow Sovereignty warships and had an idea. She held her breath, then fired small pockets of air out of her pores, surrounding her in a bullet of wind. Meiya then sunk beneath the water, protected by her new air shell. Using one hand, she raised a giant slab of earth from the sea bed and held it in front of her. Meiya clenched her hand, and the giant stone broke off into one, sharp cone. Meiya used more Earthbending to delve her hand into the earth, then used her Airbending to start to spin, turning the earth cone into an earth drill.

Because she couldn't see, Meiya had to rely on her Ischi-taught Seismic Sense to detect the metal hulls of the warships.

She aimed her drill at the nearest detected 'earthy' substance and was pleased to hear the grinding pierce of success. Meiya decided to hinder the army further and used her Seismic Compass to destroy three more ships before the drill started to get dull. Meiya took her and out of the drill and stopped spinning. She felt her air pressure weakening around her and knew that it was time to surface.

The newly-confident Airbender shot out of the water, looking back to see four warships sinking below the waves. She turned forward again to glare at her real target, the Devourer, who was lumbering closer and closer to the shore. Its tentacles were even beginning to reach for parts of the city.

Meiya squinted, then concentrated air jets from her feet, gaining a massive boost in her speed.

The Devourer's purple eye turned, noticing the tiny target beaming toward it. The claws that were reaching for the city started to reach toward Meiya.

When one came in close, Meiya jerked upward and retracted her glider, starting to slide on the tentacle. When another one came in close, Meiya bent her legs and jumped, letting the second tentacle sever the first.

Meiya cheered with success, until a small tentacle burst out of the stump that was the first tentacle and lunged toward the severed appendage, delving into the center of the severed end and pulling the tentacle back together, in wholeness.

"Aw, come on!" Meiya yelled in frustration, turning her head back around and speeding faster toward the Devourer.

Using careful elegance and skill, Meiya managed to flip herself and stand on the glider as if it were a surfing board.

"Alright, you oversized tin can! Let's see how you like this!" Meiya screamed as she raised both of her hands and conjured a massive tidal wave that literally yanked the shore, and the remaining warships, backwards.

"Haa!" Meiya yelled, throwing her hands toward the Devourer. The giant wave crested, then began to loom a little over the Devourer.

Like a giant, hungry monster, the wave swallowed the Devourer whole, crashing back against the ocean with a sound like a thunderclap.

"Yes! That had to do something!" Meiya cheered enthusiastically. That enthusiasm quickly vanished when the water trickled in torrents off of the Devourer, who showed no signs of any trauma or rust.

"You're kidding me…" Meiya whispered weakly. She gasped in shock and began to weave back and forth again as the Devourer's tentacles swarmed at her once more. It didn't take long for one to catch her and fling her like a stone toward the shore.

Meiya flew in a beautiful arc toward land, crashing through some trees before landing on the soft ground.

'Aang, this is hopeless. There's only one more option left for me. Please, teach me how to unlock my chakra gates so I can induce the Avatar State.' Meiya thought as she sat and crossed her legs, entering her own mind.

The inside of Meiya's conscience was horrifying; the entire 'room', which was once a shell of golden clouds, was now a rotting carcass of what it once was, made up of dark storm clouds that flashed red lightning. There was only a small circle of golden clouds left, where Meiya and Aang stood.

"Look around you, Meiya. If you enter the Avatar State again, there's no doubt that the darkness in your mind will consume you and you'll stay in the Dark Avatar State permanently."

"I have no choice! Even if I don't enter the Avatar State, I'm going to get consumed anyway; there's no stopping that. The only way I can save my friends and the world is if I do this now!"

"But what if you can't? What will happen if your darkness takes over and you end up speeding up the destruction?"

"I won't let that happen; I have the will and you know it."

"But will holds no power in the mind; it only manifests outside of it. Your mind is only as strong as it is. This is win-lose. There is no grey area. If you try this and fail-"

"We'll all fail if I don't try! Please, Aang! There's not much time. Please teach me!"

Aang breathed out, looking around at the malevolent clouds.

"Alright, I'll teach what I was taught about the chakra gates. Have a seat."

A minute later, outside of Meiya's mind, her tattoos flashed white three times, then became a steady white.

Within her mind again, the final golden clouds dyed themselves black. Meiya entire conscience writhed around, then Meiya began to sink. She tried to force her way out, but the clouds were like quicksand; the more she struggled, the faster she sunk. Outside, Meiya's tattoos were darkening, turning a light pink, then progressively red.

In her mind, Meiya was slowly being eaten alive by the black clouds. All that was left was a struggling hand, clawing to escape the clouds. Slowly, the hand became still, and Meiya completely vanished.

Outside, Meiya's tattoos had gone completely red. All of a sudden, her eyes snapped open, and her lips curled into Dark Meiya's signature twisted grin.

000

Zuko and Ischi were panting, now being forced to run away from Kaizu's attacks. As they backed away, Kohi and Khole backed into them, and the four Benders were surrounded.

"Reigo, finish them." Kaizu said, adjusting his glasses.

"With your help, of course." Reigo said, forming two Force Bombs and levitating one over to Kaizu. "Let's smash all four of them into mulch!"

"It's been nice knowing you guys… I just wish I could've said goodbye to Meiya." Khole said, a tear falling from her eye.

"Zuko…" Ischi blubbered, throwing herself at him. "I'll be your wife in the afterlife, Zuko…"

Kohi clenched her fists and her teeth tightly, holding back tears.

"Say hello to your father for me, Zuko." Kaizu said, causing Zuko's lip to twitch.

The two seemingly victorious opponents both launched their Force Bombs at the Meiya-less TeaMeiya.

"NO!" Kohi screeched, throwing her hands out and using powerful winds to attempt to slow the Force Bombs. They began to slow down, and stopped right before either of them could connect.

Kaizu and Reigo's eyes widened.

Kohi opened her teary eyes and screamed, stretching her arms again to push the Force Bombs back.

When Reigo was struck in the stomach, her eyes bulged and threatened to pop out of her skull before she was sent flying backwards. When Kaizu got his, his glasses cracked and flew off of his face as he was thrown across the ground.

Both of the surprised enemies had a difficult time standing.

Khole looked in amazement at Kohi, her face as angry and as serious as one of Meiya's signature expressions of disgust.

"I'm not gonna die like this! If I'm dying, I'll die fighting! I'll die like the hero I've always wanted to be!" Kohi yelled. She turned to the other three, who were still awestruck.

"You guys get Reigo and I'll take the other! We're going to end this war tonight!"

Over all of them, Kei watched from the wall, he turned from the battle in the city to the battle outside of it, where the Three Nations Army was being pushed against the city doors.

"Time to repay my debt."

Kei raised his hand to the sky. All over the rocky field, big stones rose up. Kei launched his hand at the Shadow Army and the stones began to fly into their ranks. The army soon became confused and disorganized, easier for the Three Nations Army to push back.

Kei smiled, then looked back to the in-city battle.

"Now I owe you just a little less, Ischi." he said.

000

Dark Meiya lumbered out of the forest, looking crazily at everything around her. Eventually, she saw the battle going on near the city.

"Must kill… Must destroy… Must… URGH!"

Dark Meiya seized up and dropped to one knee. Within her mind, a hand shot out of the darkness, spreading golden clouds around t as it did. Soon, a second hand followed, and the two hands pulled themselves out, belonging to Meiya.

"You're not going to control me! I am stronger than you!" Meiya screamed, ripping herself free and spreading her golden clouds throughout her conscience.

Dark Meiya screamed out, and her tattoos flickered from red to white, then glowed solid white.

"I shall restore balance!" the real Meiya yelled. She raised her hands, causing massive stones to rise from all over the seabed and mashing them together to form a gigantic stone that had the appearance of body armor.

Suddenly, water began to churn and twist, rising out of the sea and shaping into a pair of legs that attached themselves to the earthy army

Next, powerful winds began to whip around, becoming visible after a short while. The visible torrential winds shaped themselves into two massive arms that connected to the stone.

Meiya had formed a colossus that was as large as the Devourer. Using her Airbending, Meiya flew up to her creation and stood where the head would go. She screamed out, causing a massive cloud of fire to explode outward and surround her. From the seabed, two more giant rocks rose and broke away, forming two halves of a gigantic helmet. The helmet came together and enveloped the fire cloud, giving the elemental warrior flaming eyes. To finish, Meiya took control of the being and made it raise its hand and clench its fist. Suddenly, a giant flaming sword burst forth into the warrior's hand.

The Devourer, who was in the process of ripping the city apart and using the metal to make itself grow, turned toward the new opponent.

"It ends here!" Meiya said, using the voices of all of the past Avatars. She swung her sword, severing many of the Devourer's tentacles.

The Devourer gave a challenging moan before swinging its arm at the Elemental Warrior's arm. The sudden change in wind direction caused the arm to fade and reform, but in the moment that it faded, the Warrior's sword fell to the sea, vanishing in an explosion of steam.

"I don't need a sword; I'll destroy you easily without it!" Meiya's Avatar Voice rang out. When her arm reformed, Meiya threw a punch. The whipping winds were powerful enough to grind into the Devourer's thick armor, causing it to call out in pain.

000

In the future, Kumori raised an eyebrow as her entire form seemed to flicker.

"What is going on?" she thought, bringing up a trans-temporal portal that linked to the moon. She clenched her teeth when she saw the Devourer battling the Elemental Warrior.

"Impossible! That thing is not in history! Unless…"

Kumori clenched her teeth tighter when she realized what was happening.

"MEIYA!" she screamed, flickering once again.

000

Kaizu was blind. He couldn't see a thing without his glasses, which is why Kohi was having such an easy time crushing him. The enraged Airbender launched wave after wave of blunt winds at Kaizu, knocking him back. One powerful downward gust sent Kaizu crumpling to the ground. Knowing that he could do no good in his current state, he pretended to be unconscious.

When Kohi snorted and turned away to help the others with Reigo, Kaizu stumbled around the ground, looking for his glasses.

Reigo was having a hard time battling the pain of her own Force Bomb AND battling three fighters at once.

"Ya!" Kohi screamed, lunging into the fray and shooting her arms toward Reigo, sending a nasty bullet of wind straight into her stomach ad causing her to fly backwards into the wall.

"It looks like I'll have to advance my tactics…" Reigo grunted as she stood and began to surround herself in shadow. TeaMeiya though she was transforming but instead, two large white eyes and a mouth appeared on the humanoid blob of shadow.

In her hand, Reigo began to form another Force Bomb. Kohi tensed her muscles, ready to deflect this one, too. However, when Reigo shrunk it, instead of throwing it, she ate the Force Bomb, attracting surprised stares from TeaMeiya.

Reigo smiled before swelling to a massive size in less than an instant. The Force Bomb had exploded inside of her, and it took all of her strength to keep from popping like a bubble.

Reigo aimed her swelled mass at TeaMeiya, then opened her mouth, releasing a giant laser of energy. TeaMeiya barely scrambled out of the way, but even after they were out of the path, when the beam passed them, they flew backwards, crumpling to the earth in extreme pain. Looking on, Zuko noticed that the beam ravaged anything that was close to it. After a second more, the beam met a building and exploded, sending the building to the ground in no time flat.

"That was one of my most powerful attacks: the Force Beam. You can dodge it as well as you like, but I control what feels the force and what doesn't. At my strongest, I could level the city with one of these.

The power and confidence in Kohi's eyes began to fade.

"You see how hopeless your attempts are now? The Shadowbenders are the strongest, and the Shadowbenders will win this wa- Hurgh!"

Reigo's body seemed to flicker for a second. All of her shadows melted off of her body and she shivered.

"Wh-What? What just happened?" she asked, looking around, as if someone she couldn't see had attacked her. Nearby, Kaizu flickered as well, causing him to flinch.

'History is changing…' Kaizu realized, fumbling around a little more before finding his fractured glasses and putting them back on, bringing back most of his vision. 'Looks like our end is nearing…"

000

Meiya's creation and the Devourer continued to battle, but it was clear that Meiya had the advantage. The Devourer slowly stumbled backward as Meiya's onslaught continued. Slowly, the Devourer tried to throw a punch, but the Elemental Warrior used its watery legs to quickly move across the ocean and get behind the Devourer. It used one of its arms to grab onto one of the Devourer's arms, then used the other to punch straight through the Devourer's arm, severing it and sending it plummeting into the sea.

000

In the future, the Devourer flickered, moaning as if it were in pain. Kumori also dropped to her knees, flickering for a few moments.

"No! This is unprecedented! We cannot lose this war! If we don't capture Republic City today, then…"

Kumori paused to flicker a little more.

"We'll all disappear, forever…"

Suddenly, Kumori had an idea.

"The TSD… That could be enough to save us, but I have to wait until our time is completely unstable before attempting to harness all that power. I hope the Devourer can pull through so I don't have to use it…"

000

Meiya continued to attack the dis-armed Devourer, using another hold-and-punch combo to slice through the other arm. Meiya didn't notice the throngs of tentacles ejecting from the arm stumps and delving into the ocean, looking for the severed arms.

000

Kaizu, Reigo, and TeaMeiya were stalemated. Kaizu and Reigo were unable to attack due to their frequent destabilization, and TeaMeiya was too confused about the recent events that they didn't know what to do. All they could do was sit and watch.

000

Meiya mercilessly battered the Devourer as it continued to search for its arms. When it finally struck paydirt, the Devourer lifted the dismembered arms out of the sea and used them to punch the Elemental Warrior and knock it back. The Devourer than used the other fist to land a jarring fist in the Warrior's center, causing it to lean backwards.

Meiya used her watery legs to stop her tumble, then quickly sprang back up and delivered a monstrous head-butt that caused the Devourer's helmet to fly off.

The helmetless metal monster groaned in agony, stumbling around the ocean. The tendrils dropped the arms back into the ocean, falling limp at the Devourer's sides.

"It's time to end this!" Meiya screamed with all of the Avatar voices, grabbing the Devourer and slowly spinning it around. Meiya picked up speed progressively, then flung the heavy metal man into the air.

"Now!" Meiya yelled again, cocking her gale-wind fist back and throwing it upwards. The fist stayed true to its target and tore straight through the Devourer's chest!

As the dying machine hung in the air, impaled on the Elemental Warrior's fist, its eye began to flicker and crackle wildly, before going all-white.

Suddenly, the Devourer exploded in a spectacular orange and red cloud of smoke, fire, and searing metal.

000

"AUWRAUGH!" Kumori cried out as her entire body began to rapidly flicker in and out of existence. The Devourer outside groaned once before flickering several times and progressively vanishing from the feet upwards.

"Urgh..! T…S…D…" Kumori tried to yell. Her voice didn't rise higher than a whisper. She lumbered as quickly as she could to one side of her throne room, lifting a hidden panel and revealing a big red button with the word 'CAUTION!' painted red above it.

Kumori quickly pressed the button, before disappearing in a similar fashion as the Devourer.

000

Reigo and Kaizu yelled out as their entire bodies crackled painfully like virtual images. Reigo was frozen in place, hunched over with a severe look of torment on her face.

Kaizu looked up, and with his rapidly deteriorating mind, made a decision. He slowly raised two fingers and pointed them at Reigo. Reigo glanced up at him, confusion mixed in with her torment. She realized his intent with purple lightning began to travel up through his stomach and swirl around his arms, slowly coming for his fingertips.

Kaizu noticed that the lightning was purple, not black, and knew that he was making the right decision.

All TeaMeiya could do was look on in sheer and utter ignorance and confusion.

000

Underneath the flickering city, things began to whir and groan to life. Lights came on and the underground began to shake. At the core of all of this powerful commotion, something was happening. A reaction was occurring inside the giant machine, and it was shaking the very foundation of the earth. All of a sudden, a sound like a thousand explosions going off at once blasted from the machine. And the core lit up like the sun.

Almost at once, the city stopped flickering. Slowly, Kumori began to reform where she stood before, panting heavily.

"We've… We've lost…" she gasped, exhausted from her ordeal.

000

Reigo's confusion was replaced with twisted fear as she realized that Kaizu intended to kill her before the TSD kicked in. Just a moment before the lightning exploded out of Kaizu's fingers, Reigo stopped flickering and she quickly moved out of the way.

The lightning looking like a light bomb and sounded like a full-on BOMB. TeaMeiya fell backwards, rubbing their ears painfully.

Reigo was breathing heavily, having just barely escaped certain death. Kaizu looked at her with an unreadable expression.

"I must admit… Your treachery surprises me, Kaizu. Even though you're not who I thought you were, I'd never think you'd turn like that."

Kaizu raised an eyebrow.

"Tell me, Reigo. Who did you think I was?"

"I thought you were my brother. But I suspected you after thinking about what you told me in New Zuko… I asked Mother about it. You're not her child. You're HER child." Reigo said, pointing at Ischi, whose eyes widened.

Ischi looked at Kaizu, who continued to stare at Reigo intently.

"You're the first child of Ischi and Zuko, Kaizu. You were found by Mother after your parents lost you in a successful Shadow Sovereignty raid of the Rebel Capital City. You've been raised as a Shadowbender, even though you can't Shadowbend."

TeaMeiya listened in amazement. Kaizu's nose twitched once, then he began to laugh.

"What's so funny..?" Reigo asked.

"You know, I, too, always suspected that I wasn't who I thought I was. But I never could have guessed where my roots belonged."

"It doesn't matter. Now that the TSD is active, you're going to die like the traitor you are, along with the runts."

"Have you forgotten so quickly who I am? I may not be your brother, but I'm still dangerous. Besides, it looks like the tides have turned in my favor." Kaizu said, pointing at the sky. Reigo looked back, and then clenched her teeth to see that the sun was beginning to rise.

The moon, still hanging in the sky, flickered to life. Kumori's graven face appeared on its surface.

"This battle is over, Shadowbenders. I'm ordering an immediate retreat."

Reigo looked over the wall and saw the shadows of the Shadow Army soldiers rising toward the moon.

"This isn't over, kiddies…" Reigo seethed as she sunk into the ground. "Not by a long shot!"

And with that, Reigo's shadow rose out of the ground and began to fly up to the moon. As the other shadows disappeared into the moon, Reigo's vanished last.

After the last shadow vanished, the shadows on the moon shriveled away, and the moon rose higher into the air, where it's supposed to be.

Outside the city, loud cheers rose from the Three Nations Army, and within the walls, citizens whooped and hollered in victory.

Ischi panted where she sat, trying to take in what had occurred. She snapped back to reality when she saw a hand reaching down to help her up. Looking up, Ischi saw that it was Kaizu.

She took his hand and was hoisted to her feet.

"You guys did it. You've beaten back the Shadowbenders."

Ischi and Zuko smiled in victory, but Kaizu wasn't finished.

"But your jobs aren't over yet. Kumori will be back, and when she comes, she'll be at her strongest."

"How are we going to stop her?" Kohi asked.

"By beating her to the punch and launching an invasion on the future. In order to ensure the safety of your time, Kumori must die, and the Temporal Stasis Device must be destroyed."

"In that order?" Khole asked.

"Preferably. The first thing you need to do is make sure that Meiya knows everything she needs to about all of the elements. Where is she?"

Kohi jumped into the air and made her own updraft, flying up to the wall.

"Whoa! Guys, she's a giant element thing!"

Soon, all of TeaMeiya, including Kaizu, was on top of the wall, gazing in awe at the Elemental Warrior, its body shining against the rays of the sun.

The watery legs of the Warrior dispersed back into the sea, dropping the giant rock armor back onto the seabed. The wind that made the arms stopped spinning, and the fire extinguished itself within the stone helmet, which crumbled away soon after.

Meiya was all that was left, floating there, the blankest expression ever on her face. Suddenly, her neck twitched and her tattoos flashed red once.

000

Inside Meiya's head, she panted, exhausted at what she had just gone through. She looked around, satisfied with the golden walls of her conscience.

"I must admit… You're a pretty tough brat…" said a strange voice.

Suddenly, a burst of shadowy clouds appeared, and a person rose out of it. Meiya gasped when she saw who this person was. It looked exactly like her, but more surprisingly, it looked exactly like Kumori as well. It was essentially a Meiya clone with silver hair and black, dull eyes, like Kumori.

"Who… Who are you?" Meiya asked this stranger.

"Isn't it obvious? I'm all those dark emotions you pooled in your mind, now festered into a whole being of my own. Though I didn't think I'd have the strength to form like this for another five days. You're defiance of me in the Avatar State must have lent me enough power to take form, and I thank you for that.

"Where's Aang?"

"Gone, with the rest of your mind. You're mine now, Meiya."

"I belong to nobody!"

"Except for yourself… I'm nothing more than another side of you, Meiya."

"You are NOT me…" Meiya seethed. "I know who I am, and you're not it!"

"If I weren't you, I wouldn't be here, would I? Here, allow me to present you with a buried memory that I found, while you were being taught at the Air Temple."

Some clouds on one wall opened up, revealing a picture. Meiya looked at the picture and listened. An Airbender elder was teaching a group of children; Meiya sat in the back.

"An Airbender without control of his or her emotions is a dangerous, unwieldable weapon that can cause massive destruction. Airbenders refer to the state of an emotional outbreak as the Kolokumoriane, or the 'Kumori' for short."

Meiya's face darkened.

"I'm your Kumori, Meiya. I am your darkness, and I will consume you… NOW!"

The doppelganger tackled Meiya to the ground, surrounding her body with shadows.

Within the shadow, Meiya felt like she was being thrown around like a ragdoll. Suddenly she felt like she hit something hard and her vision went dark. When her sight came back, she saw that she was in a transparent bubble of light, surrounded by a seemingly endless sea of darkness all around her.

"I'm in control now, Meiya, and there's nothing you can do that will stop me!" Kumori yelled.

000

Outside Meiya's conscience, her tattoos flashed bright red, surrounding Meiya in a blood red glow.

"Huh? What's happening to her?" Ischi asked.

A boom split the air, and storm clouds rolled in, blocking the sun and plunging Republic City in darkness again.

The red light dissipated from Meiya's body, but her appearance had changed. Her hair had gone silver and her eyes a dull black. She looked like a younger Kumori.

"Now this world shall feel my power!" Meiya yelled, causing a large ribbon of black lightning to fall from the sky.

Rain began to pummel the earth, and powerful winds whipped all around. These winds picked up a huge column of water, turning into a cyclone that surrounded Meiya. The scene before the Meiya-less TeaMeiya was dreadful.

"It is as I feared…" Kaizu said.

"What is it?" Zuko asked.

"Meiya… is Kumori…"

"Wha- What? That's impossible!" Kohi yelled.

"It's very possible. I should've realized this sooner." Zuko said. "Dark Meiya was just a hollow shell of Kumori. Now that shell has been filled with Meiya's dark emotions and-"

"They've come to life…" Kaizu finished.

"What are we going to do? We don't have it in us to kill her…" Khole said. The others nodded in agreement.

"We may not have to kill her, but we'll definitely have to stop her. If this madness continues, she'll destroy the world."

"Come with us to the Sky Bison, Kaizu. You can help us to stop her."

"I can?"

"Yeah. You've changed sides, haven't you? You're one of us now. You're our new member of TeaMeiya." Zuko said.

"I'm honored… And I'll be happy to help. Lead the way."

TeaMeiya, plus their new member, made their way to the Sky Bison, still docked on the pier of Republic City.

Kisi chattered with fright in Kohi's shirt.

"It'll be okay, boy. We've going to save Meiya from herself." Kohi reassured, pulling the clutch and lifting the Bison into the air.

On the ground, the Three Nations Army watched in awe as the Sky Bison flew at full speed toward their target!

**(A/N: *pant* Guys… I managed to escape Kumori… *pant, pant* I know, it's looking horrible right now. We've just found out the shocking truth about Kumori's identity. If imawordbender still reviewed, I'd congratulate her for correctly guessing who Kumori was.**

***Pant, pant!* Because of the newest events, and the fact that Kumori is rebelling against me and trying to *pant* take over A:RotS, the next chapter will be the Book 2 finale. There will be a finale promo, and a small *pant* peek into Book 3, which will be entitled Light.**

**I'm not sure about a PostSeason Q&A. Kumori's already taken most of the cast hostage… Plus, Meiya's gone bat-sh*t crazy, and everyone else is running and hiding, like me.**

***CRASH!***

**Oh no, they've found me! I'll try to give you guys the finale soon, but this one was a tough one to work through, with all the stuff I'm working with, and I'm sure the finale will be even tougher! Bear with me, guys.**

**Hey, unhand me! Readers, just in case there is a PostSeason Q&A, send in some questions! Let me go!**

**ALSO! Review with your views on recent events! Your reviews could save me and the cast!**

**I'm not sure when we'll talk again readers… Things are getting hectic over her in my head… But until we can talk again, this is SH10, signing off…**

**Kumori: And this is your precious Avatar, signing in! MWAHAHA! Are you surprised at what you've found out? That's right, I am really Meiya in the future! We may have lost the battle, but my past self will make sure that the world is nice and ripe for when I return to seize it! Quake in fear, primitive beasts! NOW there's something to be afraid of!**

**MWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!**

***krzzzz!***

**: End Transmission :)**


	40. Save Me From Myself

**(: Begin transmission :**

**Hello, readers… It is I, Kumori, filling in as Shadowheart10's PERMANENT replacement. Don't worry, you're precious author isn't dead, just being held captive with the rest of the cast.**

**As SH10 mentioned before, this will be the Book 2 finale: Save Me Now. SH10 was originally going to show you this promo, but I'll give it to you instead.**

**000**

**Water… Earth… Fire… Air…**

**Shadows…**

**The shocking truth has been revealed…**

**Kaizu: Meiya… is Kumori…**

**The epic victory is short-lived…**

**Kaizu: If this madness continues, she'll destroy the world.**

**A chilling promise is made…**

**Reigo: This isn't over, kiddies… Not by a long shot!**

**And- Krzz! Kr- Krzz!**

**Kumori: And I have won! Mwahahaha! Tremble in fear, viewers. My past self will be the object of your destruction!**

**In a world… where the shadows rule…**

**Kumori: Quake in fear, primitive beasts! NOW there's something to be afraid of!**

**One light shall shine.**

**Meiya: Wh- Who are you..?**

**?: I'm the only one who can help.**

**DUM DUM..!**

**Avatar: Rise of the Shadowbenders…**

**Meiya (Kumori): Don't you get it? NOTHING can stop me now!**

**There's nothing to be afraid of… except for the light….**

**000**

**So, yeah… There's the promo… Kind of iffy at the end, but no matter! Don't get your hopes up, hoping for this light! It won't come! Now, let's get to why you're really here. On to the finale!**

**: End Transmission :)**

TeaMeiya flew roughly into the wake of the terrible storm that Meiya was causing. The Sky Bison was built to handle powerful conditions, but it was not built for something like this.

"How are we going to save Meiya?" Kohi yelled above the roar of the winds.

"Kumori's influence must be broken. We'll have to restrain her long enough for Khole to Energybend us into her conscience." Kaizu explained.

"I have to Energybend ALL of us?" Khole asked.

"It's not difficult. We just have to be touching you when you make contact and we'll follow you in. No more effort on your part."

"You make it sound easy." Zuko said.

"Sorry about that; this will NOT be easy. Restraining her will take a lot of effort, and breaking her psyche and entering her conscience will be tough, as well, but once we're in, we have to defeat Kumori's influence on Meiya, which will be the hardest part of this endeavor."

"Kumori has just recently surfaced in Meiya; how hard could she be to defeat?" Ischi considered.

"Don't think that way. Kumori's power may have recently surfaced, but they've been writhing, festering, and building up UNDER the surface for years. She's not as powerful as my time's Kumori, but she will definitely be your toughest opponent yet. Be ready to fight as hard as you can."

"Kohi, dodge!" Ischi yelled. The surprised Airbender weaved the Sky Bison to the left, barely dodging a giant glob of black ice that was thrown from the watery hurricane.

"She knows we're coming! Full throttle!" Kaizu said.

Kohi pulled all the levers she could on the Bison, picking up speed quickly.

"Khole, make an entrance!" Kohi screamed as loud as she could.

As the Sky Bison barreled toward the hurricane, Khole carefully stood and clasped her hands together, waiting for the right moment.

"NOW!" Kohi said. Khole extended her arms, and a hole opened up in the wall of torrential water.

The Sky Bison flew into the hole, entering a world of darkness. Black lightning flashed occasionally inside the twister of shadows, but in the center of it all was a glowing ball of red light.

"There she is…" Kohi said.

The glowing red light dissipated, and Kumori looked up at her visitors.

"Meiya! We're here to save you from yourself!" Kohi screamed down.

"Meiya's not here! I am Kumori now! There's nothing left to save!" the dark Avatar yelled back.

"I don't believe you! There's got to be something left of the good Meiya I know and love! There's still something left, and we're going to dig it out!"

"Let me prove to you that there's no Meiya here. If 'the good Meiya was anywhere inside of me, would I be able to do this?"

Kumori extended her hand, pulling back and causing a shadow to float to her hand and revolve around her.

"She can Shadowbend… This isn't good. We've got to get into her head now before she kills what little of Meiya is left." Kaizu warned.

"GRR! What will it take to make you understand that there IS no Meiya anymore?" the young Kumori growled, throwing her hands up at the Sky Bison and causing the blob of shadow to fly at TeaMeiya. Kaizu countered the shadow ball with a blast of purple flames.

"Kohi, fly us in close. We'll cover you." Zuko said, standing up and taking a position on one end of the Bison. Kaizu took a similar position on the other side, while Ischi stood and took a defensive stance in the back.

"You got it! Khole, get ready to Energybend us in when we get close enough."

"Okay…" Khole said, getting behind Kohi.

Kohi aimed the Sky Bison downwards and began to fly straight towards Kumori. The angry Shadowbender fired bullet after bullet of powerful dark energy, which was being repeatedly neutralized by Zuko and Kaizu's fireballs, as well as Ischi's Earthbending back-up.

When Kumori saw that her attacks weren't working, she flew upward to escape a head-on collision, but Kohi reached up and grabbed her leg, pulling her down into the Bison's saddle.

Kohi reared the Bison back and caused it to suspend itself in the air before reaching back and holding down Kumori's legs. Kaizu and Zuko grabbed either arm, while Ischi held her head in place.

"Khole, do it!"

Khole nodded and placed two fingers on Kumori's forehead and two fingers from her other hand on her chest. Suddenly, Khole's eyes and mouth began to glow blue, and Kumori grew still, 'dark' light escaping her eyes and mouth.

The rest of the team began to place a hand on Khole, and their features began to glow as well. Kohi was the last person to touch Khole. As she did, it felt like she was being sucked into outer space. All of the air left her body, but she wasn't choking. The feeling only seemed to last for a moment before she gasped finding herself in a world of black, beside her teammates.

Standing before TeaMeiya, backed by a giant plume of black clouds and on a rocky terrain, stood Kumori, a look of annoyance on her face.

"Congratulations… You've gotten inside… Cherish the moment, because you're NEVER getting out!"

000

From their safehouse window, Twi and Su Li watched the horror unfold before their eyes.

"I hope Zuko's okay." Twi said, furling her eyebrows.

"He'll be fine. Don't worry about a thing." Su Li said, rocking back and forth in one corner, her eyes red and bloodshot. "Everything is going to be JUST fine. Don't worry about a thing."

"You okay, Su?"

"Of course I'm okay! Do I look like I'm not okay? Why wouldn't I be okay? Are YOU okay?"

"Su, calm down." Ara soothed, placing a hand on her daughter's shoulder. "Everything WILL be just fine. I'm sure that whatever is going on, it will resolve itself."

Ara looked up and out the window, watching the black hurricane tear through the water.

"I'm sure of it…"

000

"Forgive me, Mother. I have failed you. I am not worthy of being in your army." Reigo said as she kneeled before Kumori, who had an unreadable expression.

"Rise. You have done nothing wrong," Kumori said, walking up to Reigo.

"Thank-" Reigo started, before being sharply slapped in the face. Kumori followed up by grabbing Reigo's neck with one hand and pulling her so close that their noses were almost touching.

"But if you ever second-guess yourself again, you will not live to regret the decision. Now that the TSD is active, your use has expired. Count yourself lucky that you were called to ME, not your executor."

"Y-Yes, Mother…" Reigo stammered before Kumori released her.

"Now, give me a full report."

"About 64% of our troops did not return. Another 27% is injured, and out of that 27, 10% of them are critical."

"You're saying that we have less than a tenth of our full force?"

"Yes, Mother. Also, Kaizu has defected from you. He learned of his identity."

"You told him?" Kumori asked with a grit of her teeth.

"After he tried to kill me with lightning. My telling him played no part in his defection."

"Interesting… He left on his own accord… Then there must be someone else…"

"Lastly, the Devourer was eliminated, but… Meiya - or the younger you, rather – seems to have taken its place."

Kumori knew exactly what Reigo was talking about, but she said, anyway: "Explain."

"The Kumori inside Meiya has taken over, and she is rampaging in the form of a hurricane about the ocean."

"Very intriguing… That is all I need. Leave me now."

"Yes, Mother." Reigo finished, bowing and walking out of the room.

Kumori sat down on her mangled metal throne, the symbol of her twisted dictatorship, her eyes staring forward at nothing. Suddenly, the back of her head rang, and a voice cried out.

"_You'll never win, Kumori!"_

A surprised frown found its way to Kumori's face, before a sly smile replaced it.

The Shadow Sovereign stood from her throne, then sat back down, cross-legged, in front of it. She removed her hood, revealing the off-grey arrow streaking through her long hair, before breathing out. Her eyes and hairrow began to glow a sickly red color…

000

Inside Kumori's mind, the Shadow Sovereign stood in a world of darkness, levitating in front of a small orb of light. Within the orb was what appeared to be a middle-aged woman with golden hair ad Airbender garbs.

"Long time no see, Meiya. You've been quiet for so long, I'd have thought that you'd have rotted away by now."

"You can't kill me off, Kumori. Just as I couldn't fully dispel YOU, you can't destroy me. Now give up any hope you have of just scooping the world from your own hands once the past you finishes wrecking it, because it won't happen! You and I both know that the rest of Meiya's team will stop her!"

"Now that Kaizu is a part of their team, yes… I may be stopped in the past. But that doesn't alter my plan of going to the past myself and taking it over."

"Yes it does. After you're stopped, TeaMeiya is coming HERE to destroy you before you get a chance to launch your secondary invasion."

Kumori just laughed, unnerving Meiya.

"That's EXACTLY what I'm hoping for!" Kumori said with an evil smile.

000

The battle inside Meiya's head raged on ferociously. The enraged Dark Avatar fired beam after beam of dark energy, forcing TeaMeiya to have to scramble away to avoid being wasted. They took cover in the darkness and regrouped.

"There's no way we can get close enough to land a hit!" Zuko growled.

"She's too strong! This was a mistake…" Ischi said.

"No this wasn't!" Kohi retorted. "Trying to save Meiya is NOT a mistake! I'll distract her while you get in close to seal her with your Energybending, Khole!"

"What about the rest of us? Can we help you distract her? Four heads are better than one." Kaizu asked.

"No. Cover Khole. I have to do this myself."

"Kohi, no one's asking you to be a hero. Let-"

"What's that supposed to mean, Zuko?" Kohi asked, giving a scowl that was more intense than one of Meiya's.

"What I meant was that you don't have to bear this by yourself. Don't become what the old Meiya WAS. We can help you."

"…" Kohi sighed, lowering her gaze. "You're right. Thanks, Zuko. But I still have to do this alone. I'm not trying to be a hero; I'm the only one here who can fly. I can distract Meiya the best."

Unbeknownst to TeaMeiya, Kumori could actually see them.

'Hrm… This battle is becoming too easy. Let's see what they've got up their sleeve.'

About a minute later, Kohi flew out of the shadows, flying straight toward Kumori.

"Fool." she said, swinging her arm and sending a wave of dark air straight to Kohi, who was knocked right out of the sky by the blast.

Shaking herself off, Kohi jumped back into the sky and sent her own bursts of wind at Kumori. The Dark Avatar deflected each attack, but was unable to defend herself from the flying tackle that Kohi delivered.

"Meiya, come back to us! We know you're still in there somewhere! Give us a sign that you can hear us!"

"G-Gragh! Never!" Kumori growled, struggling under Kohi's weakening grip.

Suddenly, a flash of light caught Kohi's attention. She looked up and saw a flickering orb of light, with the real Meiya suspended in the center, yelling.

"Kohi! Help me! Kohi!"

"Liar." Kohi said, glaring at Kumori.

The angry Avatar threw Kohi off of her.

"Meiya may still be alive, but you're as good as dead now!" she said, stomping on the ground. Shadow tendrils rose from the ground and wrapped Kohi's arms and legs.

Kumori raised her hand in the air, and circular saw made of pure shadow formed and began to spin wildly.

"Begone!"

Before Kumori could launch the spinning disk, two jets of fire consumed her on either side. Kaizu and Zuko had snuck around and launched their own ambush.

As the shadows shriveled away, Kohi's eyes widened. Zuko shot her a wink.

Within the searing throng of flames, a ball of shadow expanded outward, devouring the flames. Kumori stood in the same place, smoldering, but otherwise alive. Kaizu and Zuko rushed forward, double-teaming Kumori in hand-to-hand on either side of her, locking her in place.

Kaizu turned his head and winked at Khole who used her Energybending to form jet boots, which she used to fly straight up towards the bubble of light.

Kumori noticed as she continued to struggle with Zuko and Kaizu. She fired two big gusts of wind from her hands, knocking her opponents back before flying up into the air after Khole.

Kumori fired blast after blast of black fire at Khole, but she dodged each one and threw a powerful shoulder into the orb of light, shattering it.

Blinding light filled the entire area, leaving no eye unshielded. When the light dissipated, Meiya stood in the middle of the now-illuminated area.

"We've got a score to settle." Meiya growled.

"You may be free, but that doesn't-"

Kumori stopped when she felt the ground beneath her rise up and swallow her hands and feet. She glared at Ischi, who stood nearby.

"You really shouldn't talk so much." she said with a smile.

While Kumori glared at Ischi, Meiya flashed forward and delivered a shatter fist that rocked Kumori's world and broke her from her stony trap.

"And you should always keep your eye on your opponent."

"But she can't do that with five opponents." Kohi said, surrounding Kumori with Zuko and Kaizu.

Kumori twisted her face n rage and ran straight toward Meiya carelessly. Meiya smirked and swept her leg out, punching Kumori in the stomach as she did and sending her flying into the air. As Kumori flew past her, Meiya turned on her heel and surrounded her fist with wind before slamming Kumori into the ground, shattering it.

The powerful winds tore through the earth, breaking it apart even more, before the entire floor of the field broke apart, the walls and ceiling exploding into light, consuming the darkness. Meiya also became consumed by the light, turning into a giant vacuum orb that suck up everything in sight, TeaMeiya tried in vain to escape, and the light orb consumed them, too.

000

Kohi, Kaizu, Zuko, Ischi, and Khole woke with a start. They looked around and saw they were still in the Bison, still suspended in the air, but the hurricane was dying down.

Kohi looked down and gasped. Meiya's appearance had returned to normal. Her eyes opened softly, and she sat up, looking around. Her eyes eventually rested on Kohi.

"You guys saved me." she said groggily.

"Of course we did, Meiya. Why wouldn't w-"

Meiya silenced Kohi with a big hug.

"You guys are the best."

Kohi wanted to say something, but decided to savor the moment.

When Meiya pulled away, she looked at Kaizu.

"What's YOUR problem? I thought you were evil."

"Things change. I've been living a lie my whole life, but today, I found who my true family was." Kaizu said, placing one hand on Zuko and Ischi's shoulders.

"I… don't follow." Meiya said.

"He's our son from the future." Zuko explained.

"So how are YOU feeling, Meiya, since we cleared the darkness from your mind.

"You guys weren't in my mind."

"What? What do you mean?" Ischi asked with a furl of her thin brows.

"Energy comes from the soul, not the mind. You cleared the darkness out of my soul, but after you freed me, I trapped the darkness in the back of my mind again."

"So we're back to square one…" Zuko said.

"Nope. Kumori is trapped. She's sealed in the back of my head and the Avatar State can't give her strength anymore. I'm basically free, but I'll never be my best unless I can fully expel my darkness."

"Well, let's not worry about that right now! Listen!" Kohi said, pointing at the city.

The entire city had cleared out and went to the beach to cheer for TeaMeiya.

"How can we be so dark when there's a celebration down there waiting for us? Come on, let's go!"

Meiya smiled and took the controls. As she flew down to the earth, the sun rose in the distance, illuminating the world.

The Shadowbender threat had been stopped, for now…

**(A/N: -Krzz!- Readers! It's me, Shadowheart! I hacked Kumori's signal, but I don't know how long it will last. Listen, during the hiatus, I'll be pursuing a new project with the help of a good FF friend of mine, Tanni8kya Hehe. Check out her stories sometime, if you're a Narutard. Her stories are awesome! **

**But back to business. Instead of a PostSeason Q&A, I'll be doing a PRESeason Q&A before the next season starts, so send in your questions –krzz!- Uh oh, we're breaking up! I expect –krzz!- the next season to be here mid-to-late June! See you guys soon..! –krkrzz! Until then, this is SH10 –KRZZ- signing out!)**


	41. PreSeason Q&A

Me and Kumori: FOOLED YA!

Me: You really thought the cast was in trouble, didn't you?

Kumori: It was all a big joke. Nobody was EVER really in trouble. We played this little prank to scare you guys. Come on, you know it worked for at least a couple of minutes.

Me: Anyway, WE'RE BACK! Welcome to the Book 3 PreSeason Q&A!

All: YAY!

Kumori: I'm still kinda pissed, though. SOME of you have been saying some pretty harsh stuff as of late.

Me: We'll get to all of that later, right now, we've got to introduce a NEW character that will have a major role in Book Three. Introducing… Ziro!

-major applause-

Ziro: Pleasure to be here, Shadowheart. Hello, everyone!

Me: Now, let's get on to answering some questions. Our first 'question' is from georg-

Kumori: Next question.

Me: Come on, Kumori. Let's hear what he has to say. Alright, georgester101 claims that your super-powerful Nithlings aren't as super or powerful as you claim them to be.

Kumori: Total lie. I've been keeping my Nithlings under constant surveillance to make sure no one tampers with them. I'd have known if he had taken some, OR put them in a zoo.

Meiya: Alright. Since we're doing this in order, and most of everything else posted by georgester is Kumori-mocking, we'll move on to the next question, posted for Kaizu, by aguywithnoreaaccount. Is it weird being older than your mom?

Kaizu: Not really… But that's probably because I don't think that much about it. It's when you over-consider things that it starts to get weird.

Ischi: It's a little weird to me. Not just because my son is older than me, but because my son was once our enemy. I mean, I trust you now, but I'm still getting used to it.

Kaizu: That's alright. I'm still getting used to this, too.

Me: Now, here's a good question from an anonymous reviewer named George. He's wondering why Reigo was attacking Meiya in the past when Meiya was really Kumori in the future.

Reigo: That WOULD be a good question, if it was my intention to kill Meiya, which it wasn't.

Kumori: Reigo and two of my Shadowbenders were given a mission to set events in motion that would allow the Shadowbenders to get a foothold in the past. The aggression between the Fire Nation and the Earth Kingdom was the perfect way to do that.

Reigo: Meiya and her friends were necessary obstacles, but I found my way around them.

Me: Now, georgester101 had a series of questions for you, Kumori.

Kumori: *sigh* Fine, bring them on. I bet I can refute every one of them.

Me: Ready? First question. Why are you such a failure in life?

Kumori: If I was a failure in life, I wouldn't be the sovereign of my own world, now would I?

Me: Why did the past you lose?

Kumori: Doesn't matter. I didn't think the past me would win in the first place. Clearly, I'm MUCH more powerful than I was in the past.

Me: Why are the Nithlings so weak?

Kumori: Already refuted. You don't know a thing about my Nithlings.

Me: Why do you suck?

Kumori: Why do YOU suck?

Me: You are such a loser wasp.

Kumori: One, that's not a question. Two, 'wasp' doesn't bother me anymore. When you're ruler of the world, not many things DO bother you. Reply back when you rule a world that's better than mine.

Me: *snicker* Okay, now that we've gotten that out of the way, we've got a lot of good questions from avatard129. To Kumori: How come you don't have any red arrows or can bend all of the elements, if you're supposed to be Meiya?

Kumori: It's been years since I've needed to enter the Avatar State or use any Bending besides Shadowbending. I have a feeling that in Book 3, I'll have to reawaken my old abilities, however, so look forward to that.

Me: Okay, well avatard also asked why the TSD isn't attacking the past.

Kumori: The TSD, or Temporal Stasis Device, is not a robot like the Devourer. It is a machine that is specifically designed to, put as simply as possible, freeze history. While the device is active, my present will not change because of the altering of my past. However, if I do not set things right again, my past and my present's conflict could 'collide' and tear the entire world apart, which is why I will travel to the past myself and seize it, therefore setting history in line again.

Me: Good, good. Well, that seems to be all of the straightforward questions, and we've tied all the loose ends with the end of Book Two, so now it's time for what everyone's been waiting for: Ziro's interview!

-applause-

Me: Alright, here's how this works. Each of our cast members is going to ask Ziro a question, like you guys at home asked the cast THEIR questions. We'll start with Meiya.

Meiya: Who the heck are you? In a professional sense.

Ziro: Hrm… I guess you could say I'm a vigilante spy. I've come back from the future to personally make sure that the future never happens. I'm doing it covertly, though. It's the little things that affect the big picture when it comes to the future.

Me: Kohi, next.

Kohi: What do we have to do with your mission?

Ziro: Well, actually I won't meet most of you. The only one who I'm going to directly contact is Meiya, and that won't be for a long while into Book 3, so don't look for me too early on. Oh! Yeah, early on in the story, I'll run into Kaizu, so you CAN look for me a little early on.

Me: Now Ischi.

Ischi: Since most people in this story that are involved with the future end up being connected to US in some way, are you the daughter of anyone who's sitting here now?

Ziro: Yeah. Kaizu's.

Ischi: W-W-What? I'm a grandmother already? Oh, I'm only eighteen and I already feel so OLD!

Zuko: Hehe. Don't worry too much about it; you'll get wrinkles.

Kaizu: I'd like to ask my question next. How are you my daughter? I never knew you in the future.

Ziro: Of course you never knew me. You knocked up my mom and then left us. You never stayed to know me.

Kaizu: You say that as if I had a choice. I did what I had to do. I would've stayed with Miye if I could.

Ziro: Yeah, but you promised my mom that you would come back. You never did.

Kaizu: I was helping the Avatar. I was assisting in saving the world.

Ziro: A promise is a promise, Kaizu. You broke my mother's heart, and-

Me: Okay! Getting a little heated. Let's move on to Grandpa Zuko's question.

Zuko: How powerful would you say you are?

Ziro: Well, I escaped from Kumori's clutches and I kicked Reigo's ass a couple of times, so I'd say pretty powerful.

Me: Reigo?

Reigo: I have nothing to say to that little witch.

Kumori: Me neither.

Ziro: -shrugs-

Me: Well, I have a question. How are you going to help Meiya?

Ziro: Hehe. That's the one question I don't want to answer right now. You'll have to find out yourself. But then again, YOU already know, Shadowheart.

Me: Touché. Alright, I guess that's it for all the questions. Stay tuned, because we're in for a little sneak peek into the first filler arc of Book 3!

000

"So, Kaizu, how far into the future are you from?" Ischi asked. She, Zuko, and Kaizu were in TeaMeiya's new hotel room, the best room in the best hotel in the city.

"About twenty-one years." Kaizu responded.

"And, how old are you?" Zuko followed up.

"Twenty-one. And three months."

Ischi gasped and looked at Zuko.

"That means that it should happen now!"

"Well, not this very moment, since I'm still here… Before the end of the week, though. If not, then some things in history could change. Because the TSD is active in the future, I won't change, but the conflict could bring the destruction of reality that much closer.

"So, it's essential that we do it, or else we risk tearing apart reality?" Zuko asked, to which Kaizu nodded. "Well I won't argue with that."

Ischi and Zuko lovingly stared deep into each other's' eyes, their lust for each other growing with each second.

"That's my cue to leave. Have fun, you guys." Kaizu said, standing and walking out of the room.

With nothing in their way, Zuko and Ischi were upon each other, embracing each other and kissing wildly. Ischi clutched Zuko's shirt as his lips moved down to her neck, stimulating her body even further.

Wanting to take it even further, Ischi leaned back on the bed, allowing Zuko on top of her. He reached around Ischi's waist and began to untie the sash that held her blouse against her body. After tossing the sash aside, Zuko reached to remove Ischi's blouse completely, but the opening of the door interrupted them.

"Zuko! You promised me a spar!" Meiya yelled.

"A spar? Now?"

"Yes, now!" Meiya yelled, seemingly oblivious to the passionate scene before her. "You promised me that you'd spar with me at noon, when the sun is highest and Firebending is at its natural strongest. It's noon, now come spar!"

"Can't we do it later? I'm kind of busy." Zuko said, looking from Meiya to Ischi and then back to Meiya.

"No! A promise is a promise, and if we don't spar now, I won't be able to give it my all because my bending won't be its strongest! Now come on!" Meiya growled, stomping forward and grabbing Zuko, dragging him out of the room.

"Hi, Ischi." Meiya acknowledged as she walked out with her prey.

The Earth Princess just sat there with a perplexed look, wondering what had just happened…

000

Me: They all got it on the first take, but Ischi and Zuko requested eleven more because they had so much fun with it.

Ischi: That WAS fun.

Zuko (smiling): Agreed.

Me: Well, there's your peek into the first arc of Book Three, which is a filler arc. I haven't done anything comedic in the story in quite some time, and it'll be good to get back to that, what with all the seriousness that we just got out of with the D-Day War! The first chapter will be up in a couple of weeks, so look forward to it! Until then, this is SH10…

Meiya: And TeaMeiya…

Kumori: And the Shadow Sovereignty…

Ziro: And Ziro…

All: SIGNING OUT!

Me: Seeya next time! ;-D


	42. Hamartia

**(A/N: Hello, starving fans, and welcome to the first chapter of the Final Book of Avatar: Rise of the Shadowbenders. Don't shed a tear yet; this will be our longest book, and I will NOT disappoint. This book will be EPIC! Epic battles! Epic drama! And in this chapter, epic dialogue! **

**I don't want to keep you guys waiting any longer than needed, so let's get started! The first chapter, everybody!)**

The celebration of victory over the threat of the Shadow Sovereignty carried into the following night, the cold doing nothing to hinder the happiness of the people. There was no longer any reason to fear the night, with the moon high in sky where it belonged and the remaining Shadowbenders broken and battered with no way to come back en masse.

Among those partying in the streets were Kohi and Khole, both dancing and singing to the cheerful parade music. Ischi and Zuko were sitting for dinner at one of Republic City's best restaurants, looking more in love than ever.

Meiya, however, wanted nothing to do with the festivities. She sat on the Republic City Wall, looking down on the bright lights and smiling faces with her legs tucked to her chest.

Meiya looked to the side, pointing her hand at a random spot on the wall. The shadow that lay there began to tremble, and then it rose from its place, floating over to Meiya's hand. She could still Shadowbend, even though Kumori had been sealed.

As Meiya stared as the glob of shadow in her hand, the cold night wind disturbed her golden locks, causing her to squint and pull her legs closer to her.

"Something the matter?" asked a close-by voice. Meiya turned to see…

"Kaizu… What do you want?" Meiya asked.

"You seemed really happy during the celebration yesterday… You wore a smile for almost the entire day. Now you're up here, sulking for whatever reason. I just want an explanation, if you wish to give one."

"I was stupid yesterday… I had forgotten what I was fighting for. My mission from the very start…"

"To stop the Shadowbenders..?" Kaizu guessed, confused.

"My family. My sister, Suni, and my father, Naga. They were taken by Reigo, and I still have no idea where in the world she's hidden them. She said it'd be a no-brainer, but I still haven't figured-"

"Your family is being held prisoner in the future. Reigo delivered them into Kumori's hand early on in the campaign."

Meiya's eyebrows raised and she turned to Kaizu.

"Are you serious?"

"I'm always serious." Kaizu said with a blink. "And because you can Shadowbend, there might be a way that you can travel to the future."

"What? You're kidding, right?" Meiya asked, flabbergasted.

"I'm always serious, ergo, I never kid." Kaizu said with another blink.

"How? You must tell me!"

"You will need my help. I can use my Shadow Fire as a frame for the portal, and you can Shadowbend a field around the frame. You focus on the time period you want to travel to and I'll focus on the location. It should work fine."

"Let's test that and see if it actually works." Meiya said, standing.

Kaizu nodded and used Firebending to make a flaming ring in the air. When he and Meiya saw the ring, they both frowned.

"Uh… That ring is-"

"I see it, I see it… That's not Shadow Fire. I don't have the negative energy to make Shadow Fire anymore; I forgot…" Kaizu said. "And I'm certain that you're not a powerful enough Shadowbender to maintain a portal on your own. Reigo is the second most powerful Shadowbender alive, and even she can just barely self-conjure a portal."

"I knew this was too good to be true…" Meiya said, sitting back down and tucking her legs back to her chest again.

"I'll think of something… There has to be some way of getting to the future without the use of the Moon. Reigo did it… With my help… Sigh…"

"Thanks for trying, Kaizu. Really. I'm going to head back down to our hotel and get some sleep. Don't stay up here for too long."

Meiya stood and picked up her glider, jumping from the wall and flying down into the city.

Kaizu watched her for a few more seconds, before frowning again. He turned, looking outside the city.

Several hundred feet away from the wall, Kaizu noticed a cloaked figure standing on the branch of a tree. His frown intensified when he saw what was in the figure's hand.

Slightly illuminating the figure's face was a small ball of black fire. The squinting grey eyes of the stranger locked onto Kaizu's spectacled grey eyes for several moments before the stranger crushed the Shadow Fireball in her hand, snuffing out the illumination that it was giving. The figure disappeared in the darkness and Kaizu was left staring at empty air…

000

The female figure lightly jumped down from her tree perch, taking one look back at the city wall before walking into the dark forest.

Her silent footsteps carried her deeper into the woods, their destination not far. Several paces later, the woman stopped and looked around, detecting some sort of presence very close by.

Mere seconds later, a whooshing noise sounded in front of her. The air looked as if it were vibrating, then seemed to collapse into a pit of inky darkness. A familiar face stepped out from the vortex and stood before the cloaked woman, who smiled.

"Heh… Reigo." she said, reaching to remove her hood. She was the same person that had previously escaped Reigo's clutches.

"Ziro…" Reigo acknowledged.

"Last I saw, you and your 'army' were running back to your mother with your snouts to the ground and your tails between your legs. What are you doing here now?" Ziro asked, shaking her brown locks straight.

"You know exactly what I'm doing here, traitor. I'm here to end your life and save my future." Reigo said.

"And ruin the futures of many others in the process?"

"I couldn't care less about this time period. This is not my family. These are not my people."

"But they're _people_, Reigo. People are people, no matter where they come from, and what you're doing is wrong, which is why I'm here to stop it."

"Which is why I'M here to stop YOU."

"To try at least. You AND your mother have already failed to stop me twice. What makes you so sure that you'll succeed this time?"

"Why don't we find out? Are you actually going to fight me, or will you just run away again?"

Ziro was silent for a few moments before answering with a smile. "Neither."

"Excuse me?" Reigo asked.

"Kill me now. If you're so determined to go through with your 'noble' little mission, don't let me stop you. Seize the moment and destroy your biggest roadblock."

Ziro spread her arms and poked out her chest, making herself as vulnerable as possible.

"How do I know you're not bluffing?" Reigo asked.

"You don't. But when will you ever get an opportunity like this again? I can tell you, it probably won't be for a long time."

Reigo squinted and raised her hand, forming a swirling ball of shadow energy. The power behind the orb was so intense that it was making Reigo's hand tremble.

Ziro's body remained unflinching, and a sly smile was forming on her face.

Reigo made a silent snarl, still hesitating to throw the orb. After several more tense moments, Reigo scowled angrily and crushed the orb in her hand, causing the energy to erupt in a flash before shriveling away.

Ziro's smile disappeared.

"I'm disappointed, Reigo. I thought this was your goal; your mission. What happened?"

"I can't afford to take any chances with someone like you. I failed to confront you directly, so I'm going to take you out the fun way: when you least expect it." Reigo seethed.

"So, in other words, it's not the right time?" Ziro paraphrased. Reigo didn't answer. "So, Reigo, when will the right time be? After your future is ruined? Oh, wait! I almost forgot. The mere fact that we're both standing here, talking to each other, is proof enough that your future is far past ruined. Admit it, Reigo, you don't want to take my life."

"I would NEVER hesitate to end a life…" Reigo growled, a nerve clearly stricken from Ziro's comment.

"Subtle deflection… I'd respect that a little if it weren't you, Reigo." Ziro said, a smug grin on her teenage face.

"What are you talking about?"

"I never said you couldn't end _a_ life. I said that you couldn't end MINE."

"And why would that be?" Reigo defended.

"Because to you, I'm still family, aren't I?"

"W-What?" Reigo stammered, another nerve stricken. "Why would I think of YOU as family?"

"You still see him as your brother, don't you?"

"Kaizu is a traitor and a disgrace to the Shadow Sovereignty. He's no brother of mine."

"You SAY that, and yet you don't have it in you to kill your niece." Ziro continued to press, striking more and more of Reigo's nerves.

"You are NOT my niece!"

"Then why haven't you killed me yet, Reigo? Deny it all you want, but your hamartia is there, and I can tell that it's not going away any time soon."

Ziro turned and began to walk back in the other direction. "Just hope that Kumori doesn't find out about it and kill you before Meiya does. She's not as keen on family as you are."

A moment after Ziro vanished into the trees, Reigo gritted her teeth and charged up another shadow energy ball, throwing it in Ziro's direction. The ball disappeared into the trees, too, before a powerful explosion blasted several trees and branches into the air.

Reigo's eyes widened in anger when she saw that there was no body or blood in the blast site. She had missed.

"Nice try, Reigo, but you only get one easy shot from me, and you blew it. It's not likely, but maybe I'll see you again someday." Ziro's voice called out from an undeterminable direction.

Reigo was just a hair away from exploding almost as violently as the energy sphere she threw, but at the last moment, she exhaled and regained as much composure as she could before turning and storming back into her portal. A moment later, it shriveled away and vanished, leaving no trace of its existence.

000

"You WHA?" Kohi exclaimed with much shock after hearing Khole's announcement later that night in their hotel room.

"I want to leave the team." Khole repeated, her voice riddled with sadness.

"B-B-But… But why?" Kohi blubbered.

"Well… The Shadowbenders are gone for now, and it doesn't seem like they'll be coming back for a long time… So I wanted to go back to Omashu to continue my Beast Taming."

"B-But, Khole, you can't just leave us!" Kohi cried.

"Kohi, enough!" Meiya barked, silencing her. "I don't see any reason why we should make Khole stay if she doesn't want to.

Meiya turned to Khole, and sadness appeared in her eyes as well.

"But I'm really going to miss you." Meiya said, standing and giving Khole a hug.

"I'll miss you, too, cousin… And all of you guys." Khole said after she and Meiya separated. Khole gave each of her friends a goodbye hug, embracing Kohi for just a little longer than anyone else.

"You want us to fly you to Omashu?" Meiya asked.

"No, that's okay. If I hang out with you guys for longer than I have to, I may change my mind about leaving. I hear there's a travel blimp going to New Zuko in about ten minutes. I'll just request a personal to Omashu."

"If any trouble comes up with your request, just tell him the Avatar sent you." Meiya said with a smile.

"Heh. Alright. Thanks for the best months of my life, guys. I'll never forget any of you."

"Be sure to visit sometime." Ischi said with a wave.

Khole nodded, then turned and walked out of the hotel room, closing the door behind her.

Meiya sighed heavily, leaning back and lying on the bed.

The thick silence in the room lasted for a good minute or so…

"Hey, anyone seen Kaizu?" Kohi asked suddenly.

000

The spectacled young man sneezed as he stood on the roof of the hotel, looking up at the milky white moon as it hung in the sky, giving off light that was hazy and puffy behind the drifting clouds. He sniffed and rubbed his nose before looking back up at the sky and thinking hard.

"How are we going to get up there?" he whispered to himself.

"You really want to know?" asked a young female voice behind him. Kaizu turned his head, eyeing the young lady. She looked like the same figure that he saw in the trees outside the wall.

"Yes. Yes, I do. Who are you?"

"Name's Ziro. Your name's Kaizu." the girl said.

"That's right… How-"

"How I know you doesn't matter anymore. All that matters is that you need to get to the moon. Zuko HAD the answer you need."

"What? My f- Hrm. Zuko? Why would Zuko have the answer?"

"HAD. Zuko HAD the answer. And don't bother hiding it. I know that Zuko is your father. Ischi is your mother, and Miye was your lover." Ziro said, a little sourness in her voice at the end. "Don't think I stalk you. I know pretty much all there is to know about Meiya and her friends."

"How?"

"Here." Ziro said, tossing Kaizu a folded piece of coloring paper.

He unfolded it and frowned. There was a picture of what appeared to be a grey cone-like object with one crudely-drawn window and a jet of fire coming from the bottom of it. The cone was pointed toward the moon.

"What is this? Where did-"

"I traveled to the past and stole this from Kid Zuko. This was one of his first ideas. Before the Judgment Scales and the S.S Chaos were even thought of. Kumori never got a chance to steal it, because as far as Kumori knows, this drawing never existed. It's exactly the kind of thing you need in order to reach the moon."

"I don't follow… What is this?"

"A ship. One that, when utilizing all four elements, can travel in space. This probably would've been Zuko's most ingenious idea if it hadn't been stolen."

"How did you get this? Are you a Shadowbender?"

"No, I'm not. But can I bend the shadows? That's a whole different question. But you didn't ask that." Ziro said blankly, turning and walking away from Kaizu.

"Wait! How am I supposed to construct this?"

"You don't have to. I didn't JUST steal that drawing. I showed it to someone before coming back here."

Ziro waved back at Kaizu before leaping off of the roof of the hotel.

Kaizu ran to where Ziro jumped, but when he looked, no one was there. She had vanished without a trace.

Kaizu had never been more confused in his entire life. Scratching his aching head, Kaizu walked back to the roof entrance and left back down the steps.

**(A/N: That's all folks! What mystery! What suspense! What tragedy! Khole is going away! Don't worry. She'll be back. Eventually. Maybe. Eh. ANYWAYS!**

**I'm not going to beg you guys for reviews anymore. It doesn't seem to be working, and I realized that I may actually be discouraging you to review with all the begging… So I'm just going to leave it at, I hope you enjoyed this chapter! ^^**

**I'm going to start working on the next chapter soon. Right now, I've got to start on my summer reading… Blegh!**

**Until next time, readers, this is SH10, signing out!)**


	43. Paradise Falls

**(A/N: The public demands MOAR CHAPTERS!**

**-cacophony of loud banter and wild applause-**

**The public demands LONGER CHAPTERS!**

**-another eruption of applause; Foaming Mouth Dude from Kyoshi Village runs onto the stage, screams a few times, froths at the mouth, and then faints.-**

… **Uh… Yeah. Anyway, you guys want MOAR, and you've got it! I've got no margin for error since it's the last book, and I've got no room to get rusty yet.**

**And Mind and I have also been speaking with some of our executives. They ALSO want MOAR! Not just MOAR chapters! MOAR Avatar! We've been redeemed for a sequel!**

**-more wild applause, several people start crying, several other people grab the person next to them and scream happily in their faces-**

**That's right! No need to cry at the end of the story, because there'll be MOAR after it! MOAR Meiya! MOAR Ischi! MOAR Zuko! MOAR futuristic drama! Get ready, ladies and gentlemen for…**

**-large banner drops-**

**AVATAR: -INSERT TITLE HERE-**

**-audience falls silent, staring blankly at the banner-**

**Yeah… Sorry about that… The title is still pending, but rest assured that I will continue the epic storyline of A:RotS. All the details have not been worked out yet, but I have one quarter of a basic idea down.**

… **Don't look at me like that! Most of THIS story is off the top of my head and it's still epic, right?**

**-the audience murmurs in agreement-**

**Exactly! Now, I'm not going to delay you any longer! Let's get on with the show! Note, this is the chapter from which the excerpt from the PreSeason Q&A comes from. The actual lines written will be just a bit different from the excerpt.)**

"So, Kaizu, how far into the future are you from?" Ischi asked. She and Zuko were sitting on one bed of the hotel room, speaking to Kaizu, who sat on the other bed.

"About twenty-one years." Kaizu responded.

"And, how old are you?" Zuko followed up.

"Twenty-one. And three months."

Ischi gasped and looked at Zuko.

"That means that it should happen now!"

"Well, not this very moment, since I'm still here… Before the end of the week, though. If not, then some things in history could change. Because the TSD is active in the future, I won't change, but the conflict could bring the destruction of reality that much closer."

"So, it's essential that 'it' happens, or else we risk tearing apart reality?" Zuko asked, to which Kaizu nodded. "Well, I won't argue with that."

Ischi and Zuko lovingly stared deep into each other's eyes, their lust for each other growing with each second.

"That's my cue to leave. Have fun, you guys." Kaizu said, standing and walking out of the room.

With nothing in their way, Zuko and Ischi were upon each other, embracing each other and kissing wildly. Ischi clutched Zuko's shirt as his lips moved down to her neck, stimulating her body to a greater extent.

Wanting to take it even further, Ischi leaned back on the bed, allowing Zuko on top of her. He reached around Ischi's waist and began to untie the sash that held her blouse against her body. After tossing the sash aside, Zuko reached to remove Ischi's blouse completely, but the opening of the door interrupted them.

"Zuko! You promised me a spar!" Meiya yelled.

"A spar? Now?"

"Yes, now!" Meiya yelled, seemingly oblivious to the passionate scene before her. "You promised me that you'd spar with me at noon, when the sun is highest and Firebending is at its natural strongest. It's noon, now come spar!"

"Can't we do it later? I'm kind of busy." Zuko said, looking from Meiya to Ischi and then back to Meiya.

"No! A promise is a promise, and if we don't spar now, I won't be able to give it my all because my bending won't be its strongest! Now come on!" Meiya growled, stomping forward and grabbing Zuko, dragging him out of the room.

"Hi, Ischi." Meiya acknowledged as she walked out with her prey.

The Earth Princess just sat there with a perplexed look, wondering what had just happened…

000

Kaizu stared in confusion as he witnessed Meiya dragging Zuko down the hall toward the lobby.

"Meiya, you seriously don't understand!" the Fire Prince complained.

"I understand that if we're going to bring the battle to the Shadowbenders, I'm going to need to be a fully realized Avatar in order to do so. I've never met Kumori and I already know that I'm nowhere near as strong as she is. I'm definitely going to need the Avatar State to beat her, and unless I master these elements, that won't happen."

"You're going about this the wrong way, Meiya." Kaizu called, thinking quickly of a way to free Zuko, 'assist' him, and appease Meiya all in one move.

"What are you talking about?" Meiya demanded, eyeing Kaizu.

"Simply sparring will not help you master Firebending. Let me help you with your training. Not only am I a far superior Firebender, I will also serve to be the best teacher available…"

"Far superior?" Zuko asked with sourness.

"For now." Kaizu said with a split second twitch of his lips into an amused grin. "And besides, Meiya, I am from the future, and all I know of Firebending, I was taught by Kumori. If you allow me to be your tutor, you will be closer to being as strong as her."

"Good point." Meiya concurred, releasing Zuko and walking over to Kaizu. "Where should we begin?"

"The seashore. It is flat and level ground. The heat of the sand will also amplify your Firebending slightly." Kaizu said as he walked to the lobby door with Meiya in tow. He gave Zuko a subtle, knowing wink as he passed.

The freed Fire Prince smiled, beginning his walk back to his beloved. A moment after leaving the lobby, Zuko was suddenly pushed back in and almost knocked to the floor.

"Kohi, I can't! Really!" Ischi pleaded as Kohi led her by the hand into the lobby.

"Sure you can! SOMEONE has come swimming with me! Swimming alone is no fun! I was going to ask K-Khole, but, you know…"

"Yeah, but…" Ischi mumbled.

"Pleeeease, Ischi! This team is a lot less fun without Khole, and I need someone to hang out with! Meiya's a sourpuss, Kaizu's aloof, Kisi's a lemur, and Zuko's just no fun!"

"Hey, that's not true! I can be fun!" Zuko said, looking around. He grabbed a nearby potted plant and balanced it on his head. "See..? Fun!"

"See what I mean?" Kohi groaned. "You're the only fun one left on the team! Please spend time with me for just today? Pleeeease?"

"Well… Alright, Kohi. Can we 'talk' tonight, Zuko?" Ischi asked.

"Sure…" Zuko said disappointedly as Kohi yanked Ischi out of the hotel and down the street.

The Fire Prince just stood there with a perplexed look, wondering what he was going to do now…

000

Later that early evening, after a lot of teaching and practicing, Meiya collapsed onto the sand, breathing heavily.

"Well… admittedly, you could be a lot worse, but you're definitely going to have to pick up more stamina and tolerance if you're going to be a true Firebender. A true Firebender doesn't flinch at their own flames when they become very hot and very powerful. My violet flames are the hottest that THIS world has ever seen and I don't even squint at it. The only two who could control flames hotter than mine are Kumori and my father."

"You knew your father? I thought you were raised by Kumori."

"Kumori fed me stories about the 'cult' that was brainwashed into resisting her power."

"She brainwashed you with stories about brainwashing?"

Kaizu blinked and stared blankly at Meiya. "I… suppose that's one way of looking at it…"

"*sigh…* You're too stiff, Kaizu. I've got to get Kohi to teach you how to lighten up."

Another blink and another blank stare. "Moving on… My mot- I mean… Kumori… would always paint the leader of said 'cult' in a dark light. She convinced me that HE was evil and must be stopped. The minister of the defiance cult… Zuko. She told me everything she could about Zuko, never making me suspicious as to who he really was…"

"Do you want to find him in your future?" Meiya asked.

"Of course… After all of this is over, if I even survive, I'm going to try and find my real father."

Kaizu stood and began to walk up the beach.

"I'd visit the springs if I were you. You don't want to wake up TOO sore tomorrow."

Meiya stared after Kaizu for a few moments before standing and walking the opposite direction.

000

Zuko leaned forward and gave his mother a hug as the youth of New Zuko began to board their ship again.

"Oh, Zuko, when will you come home?" Ara asked after releasing her son.

"After we silence the Shadowbenders once and for all. In other words, I don't know. But I'll be fine. No need to worry about me."

"I have no choice but to worry… But I'll trust you, Zuko. I'll trust that you and the Avatar will finish your mission and come home safely."

Ara gave Zuko another hug before turning and walking up the metal ramp into the ship.

"Tell the twins I miss them." Zuko said. Ara turned and nodded before walking onto the deck of the ship and disappearing inside.

Slowly, the Fire Nation cruise ship pulled away from the dock. Zuko watched it slowly crawl away into the distance until it was nearly out of sight. With a sigh, Zuko turned and walked back into the city.

'I'll come home… I will… I'll come home…' Zuko thought as he walked.

000

Salty steam billowed into the sky, filling the air with a thick, hot fog in the Waterfall Mineral Springs just outside the city. Gentle wind whipped the chunky steam around, forming funny, swirly shaped and causing the tree leaves to sway and whisper.

Tying the peaceful scene together was a steady cascade of water pouring into the springs from a waterfall in the rear of the springs.

Sitting nearby was a set of neatly-folded Airbending garbs and undergarments. Sitting in the spring was Meiya, who let out a deep sigh. She backed that sigh with Airbending, causing the steam around her to billow away.

She used Waterbending to cool the sweat on her body. The cold water against her heated skin massaged and tickled her body, relaxing her even further.

Meiya sunk lower into the warm mineral bath, taking in the calm and quiet around her. She had NEVER felt this relaxed before, and she had no idea how good being calm felt.

Meiya closed her eyes and soaked up the healing and calming properties of the water she sat in. The minutes seemed to cruise by at the most leisurely pace possible, but Meiya didn't mind…

Before Meiya closed her eyes, the sun still hung low in the sky. When she opened her eyes again after what FELT like mere minutes, the sun was gone and the sky was a warm purple, steadily dimming into darkness.

Meiya frowned with frustration and moved to rise from the spring, but seeing someone approach caused her to recoil with a gasp back into the spring.

"Hello?" asked a surprised male voice. "Is anybody here?"

The figure waved the steam away. He was a tall, young lad with slightly tanned skin, black hair and deep brown eyes. The young man looked around, eventually noticing Meiya in the spring. The two locked eyes for a long moment, and Meiya began to get a bit flustered when his eyes began to travel, but she managed to keep her composure for all but a half a second.

"AH! Get out! Get out! Get out! Go away!" she squealed, splashing the newcomer several times.

"Hey, hey! Cut it out! Where else am I supposed to go?"

"I don't know, maybe the MALE springs?" Meiya yelled. The young man gave her a curious look, which slowly turned into an amused one.

"You didn't know that Paradise Falls was a MIXED bath and spring? You must not be from around here."

Meiya inched away as the young man stepped into the spring and sat down with an exhale.

"No, I'm not from around here. I'm guessing you are?" Meiya asked.

"Yup. I've lived here my whole life. Well… not here at the Falls, but…"

Meiya smiled a little.

"Hey, you know, most of the pretty girls I know that come here bring bathing suits with them." the young man said with a smile.

'Pretty..?' Meiya thought, becoming more flustered on the inside. Her outside continued to push him away, though.

"I don't have one… And stop looking at me!" Meiya pouted, sinking deeper into the spring. She was up to her neck in mineral water, and feeling not-so relaxed anymore.

"Don't worry, I wasn't. I'm not a pervert. I was just making an observation."

"That I'm not wearing a bathing suit?" Meiya guessed sourly.

"Well, that… And that you're pretty. VERY pretty."

Meiya was becoming overwhelmed… Soon, she wouldn't be able to hold back the blush anymore.

"Especially your hair. Did you dye the arrow on like that?" the young man inquired, reaching over and running his fingers through Meiya's hair.

"Hey, hey! Whoa!" Meiya protested, slapping his hand away indignantly.

The stranger rubbed his fingers together raising an eyebrow.

"Doesn't feel like dye…"

"It's natural… And don't touch me again! I don't know you!"

"Do you want to get to know me? Name's Rolan."

"Meiya…" the flustered Avatar responded.

"I knew I recognized you! You're the Avatar, right?"

"Yes, I am…"

"Awesome! I can't believe my luck! Here I am at the Paradise Falls with the Avatar. Talking TO the Avatar. Flirting with the Avatar. How am I doing, by the way?"

Meiya smiled again, a little of the blush escaping to her cheeks.

"Not bad… No boy's ever really talked to me this way, or flirted with me before."

"Really? Nobody?" Rolan asked, surprised.

"Nope. Most of the boys that lived at the Eastern Air Temple were-"

"Blind?" Rolan interrupted, to which Meiya laughed a little.

"No, just jerks…"

"Well- Wait, did you say 'lived'? What happened?"

"Um… It's kind of personal. I really don't want to talk about it, especially with someone I barely know."

"Like I said, we can GET to know each other. We can go back to my place and talk a little more…" Rolan suggested, moving closer to Meiya.

"Get away from me!" Meiya screamed, moving away rapidly and splashing Rolan with more water.

"Whoa, whoa! I'm just kidding! Kidding!" Rolan laughed. "As I was saying before, that's just too bad for them. You seem mostly nice, not to mention VERY pretty, even though you can't take a joke."

"Hm… I wasn't always like this. You can ask one of my friends, Kohi. I used to be really mean and uncaring. Months ago, I probably would've ignored you completely and left by now."

"Well, you were ABOUT to leave, and yet, you're still here. Am I to assume that it's at least partly because of me?"

"You may…" Meiya said, looking away and letting a little more of her blush escape.

"You're not that sly, Meiya, I can see you blushing."

"I-I-It's the heat of the springs." Meiya claimed.

Meiya looked up again as she heard more voices approach.

"Oh, Kohi… I'm really tired and I want to get back to the hotel…"

"We've had a long day, Ischi! This spring is just what we need to rejuvenate!"

"Oh, no…" Meiya groaned.

"Ischi Bei Fong? The Earth Princess? Forget luck. I'm in heaven!" Rolan joked.

"Hey! I thought you were flirting with me! And besides, Ischi is engaged." Meiya protested.

"Ooh, jealous, are we?"

"No, no! It's just… Well… You saw me first! No! I mean…"

Meiya couldn't hold it back anymore. The blush completely overtook her face.

"It's okay, Meiya. I like you, too. A lot." Rolan said.

"I can tell… I kinda like you, too."

"Wanna talk about it some more? Over dinner?"

"S-Sure. I need a break from this relaxation… King's Bounty at sunset?"

"Sounds good to me." Rolan said.

Meiya was about to stand, but stopped herself.

"Don't look!" she growled at him.

"I won't, I won't." Rolan said, turning around.

Meiya exhaled, then stood to exit the springs, grabbing a towel from a stack nearby and drying herself off. As she did, Kohi and Ischi walked by.

"Oh! Meiya! How… unexpected!" Ischi gasped.

"Hey, Ischi… Kohi…" Meiya nodded, wrapping her towel around herself and walking up the path toward where she put her clothes.

Kohi stared after Meiya for a few seconds more before turning to Ischi.

"Hey, Ischi, did you bring any bathing suits?"

000

Kaizu pushed the branches away as he trekked through the forest and the inclination that got steadily steeper, until it suddenly dropped off into flat terrain again.

Curious, Kaizu climbed a tree and looked out into the distance. He was much higher in the air than he thought he was, and a lot farther from the city than he really wanted to be. Kaizu was about to climb down and go back to search a little closer to the city, but a voice stopped him.

"Far away from home, aren't we?"

Kaizu looked around, but saw no one. He climbed down from the tree and took another look around.

"You must want to find me REALLY badly." said the voice again. Kaizu turned, looking down to meet the eyes of the girl he had met last night. "So, Kaizu, what do you want, as if I don't already know."

"You might." Kaizu said, reaching into his pocket and pulling out the drawing that was given to him last night.

"It's urgent that you tell me this. The fate of reality is at a greater risk than you could ever imagine."

"Oh, I bet I could imagine. Now tell me what it is you need."

Kaizu bent down to one knee in order to look into the young lady's eyes.

"Three things. How can you 'bend the shadows'? What other time periods have you been to? And this is the most important of my three questions…" Kaizu said, showing Ziro the picture.

"Who else did you show this drawing to?"

**(A/N: That's the end! How'd you like it! We've met a new character, it was longer than the previous chapter, and the mystery ceases to let up! What else are we going to discover in future chapters?**

**Let me know what you think of the Final Book so far, and give me your thoughts on what YOU think the future has in store for TeaMeiya!**

**Until next time, mah bruthas and sistas! This is SH10, signing out! MOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAR! XP)**


	44. The Timebender 1

**(A/N: Here we go again! Rolling into another awesome chapter! Don't have much to say here this time, so let's not delay!)**

Zuko snapped to attention upon hearing the door open and seeing Ischi and Kohi come in. Kohi ran in and jumped onto her and Meiya's bed, falling asleep in only moments. The sleeping Avatar grumbled a little before adjusting and beginning to snore silently again.

"Ischi, you're back!" Zuko said in a whisper. "Shall we-"

"Sorry, Zuko… Kohi tuckered me out… I'm not in the mood…"

"But, Ischi, we only have two days before the week ends. If we have more roadblocks like we did today, this could be our only chance!"

"But if both of us don't feel it, then what's the point?"

"Saving our FUTURE is the point."

Ischi looked offended, as if she was about to cry. Her sadness then turned to anger and she grabbed Zuko's arm, pulling him out of bed and out the door, closing it behind her.

"What? What's going on?" Zuko asked.

"What on earth is your problem?" Ischi demanded, squinting.

"What are you talking about? I don't have a problem!"

"You seem to care more about Kaizu than you do about me! To me, that's a problem!"

Zuko placed his hand on the wall behind Ischi. "You know you're the one I love the most."

Zuko leaned forward and planted a soft kiss on Ischi's lips. Ischi was a moment away from closing her eyes and deepening the kiss, but before she could, she pushed Zuko away.

"Stop it! I know what you're trying to do!" she said indignantly.

"And what would that be?" Zuko responded, just as loud.

"You're trying to seduce me and get me in the mood!"

"Well, you said you WEREN'T in the mood, so what's wrong with trying to GET you in the mood?"

"If I'm not in the mood to begin with, trying to get me in the mood won't improve my mood! My original mood doesn't want me to get in the mood, because it's not the right mood for me!"

"Wha- Do you have any idea how crazy you sound?"

"The point is, you're trying to force me to do something that I don't want to do! It may go without saying, but I DON'T like that! And I'm NOT crazy! I'm NOT, I'm NOT, I'm NOT!"

"Listen to yourself, Ischi! You're acting dumb! You're not a child!"

"Oh, so now you're calling me stupid?" Ischi blubbered, tears rolling down her face. "Gee, why don't you just punch me in the face?"

"Ischi…"

"Do it! Go on, do it! We both know you want to!"

"Do what?"

"Hit me! Slap me! Go on and do it! Treat me like you talk to me!"

"Ischi, no… You don't understand." Zuko said, placing a hand on her shoulder. "I'm sorry."

"N-No, you're not! And stop touching me!"

"Ischi, please, listen to me…" Zuko said, trying to pull Ischi closer to him.

"You're seducing me again! NO! Get away!" Ischi cried, swiftly slapping Zuko across one cheek.

"Ischi, stop it! You never were in your right mind when you were sleep-deprived…"

"Now you're calling me INSANE?" Ischi cried, her sadness turning into anger again. She swung her hand to slap Zuko again, but he grabbed her hand and squeezed it.

"Ischi, calm down!"

"Ow, ow! You're hurting me, Zuko!" Ischi said again, her anger turning back into blubbering sadness. She tried to squirm away from him, but Zuko pulled her closer and just held her in his arms, whispering soothing words in her ear.

Ischi weakly squirmed for a few more moments before dropping her head into Zuko's chest and snoring.

Zuko softly kissed Ischi's forehead before picking her up and taking her back into the room.

000

"How badly do you want what I know?" Ziro asked Kaizu.

"Maybe I wasn't clear. The fate of reality is at stake. If you implied what I think you were implying the last time we spoke, this could be our best, and possibly only, opportunity to travel to the future."

"Hm? And what do you think I was implying?"

"That the blueprints to this contraption are lying around somewhere, designed by whoever you showed THIS drawing to."

A small smile grew on Ziro's face as Kaizu spoke.

"Tell you what: I'll tell you everything I've done while I was in the past if you manage to beat me."

"Beat you? As in, in combat?"

"No, in a disciplinary fashion."

Kaizu frowned. He wasn't sure if she was being sarcastic.

"Of COURSE in combat! Ugh, Meiya was right; you DO need to learn how to lighten up."

"What? How did-"

"Again, I'm NOT a stalker… I just happened to be in the trees, silently observing as you and Meiya as you two trained. You're giving her too little credit, by the way. Oh, what am I saying? Are you going to fight me or not?"

"I'm… not sure how I feel about fighting a child."

Without warning, Ziro delivered a powerful roundhouse kick to Kaizu's face, causing him to fly backwards and roll down the hill he had climbed. After painfully tumbling for several seconds, Kaizu finally slammed to a stop on the sands of the beach.

Kaizu rubbed his jaw and stood, preparing to climb up the hill again, but a voice stopped him.

"You'd better get your feelings in check quickly, then, before I clobber you."

Kaizu turned around and met Ziro's stare.

"Wh-What? How did… How did you-"

"Fight me and you may find out." Ziro said, pointing her hand at Kaizu and launching a stream of black fire at him.

000

Meiya woke with a start, her face red and sweating. She breathed heavily, looking around. She had been dreaming just moments ago, but she couldn't remember what she was dreaming about. Absent-mindedly, Meiya rubbed her neck and closed her eyes, slowing her breathing.

"What's wrong, Meiya?" Kohi asked, sitting up and looking at her with a concerned frown.

"Nothing, nothing… Just a bad dream. That I can't remember."

"Then how do you know it was bad?"

"Do you ever wake up screaming from a GOOD dream?"

"Hm. Good point."

Meiya rubbed her forehead and laid back down. "What time is it?"

"About midnight. Kaizu still hasn't come back."

"Don't worry about him. Kaizu can handle himself."

Meiya breathed outward and closed her eyes again.

000

Kaizu leaped back away from the black flames of his opponent and took a battle stance. Ziro stood casually and faced Kaizu.

"I think it's only fair that you at least know how I can travel through time. You'd have found out eventually anyway."

Kaizu's eyes widened slightly as Ziro raised her right hand. She was wearing some sort of mechanical glove with blue glowing claws at the end of it.

"The Hand of the Sovereign. This is the primary reason why Reigo and the Shadowbenders want my head. It's an experimental device that can allow someone who can't Shadowbend to time travel. Only one was built, and the blueprints were stolen from a further future than mine.

My first jump was to the future to destroy the blueprints for this thing, then go back and kill the creator of the blueprints to make sure that Kumori never got them. Like that drawing, this machine technically never existed."

"You KILLED someone? An innocent man who you didn't know?"

"Why do you assume I didn't know him? And killing him wasn't only in MY best interests. It was in the interests of you, Meiya, and the rest of her group."

"What? How?"

"I've been around the alternate timeline block a few times. If this thing had been mass-produced and distributed among Kumori's elite army, they could've used them to simply warp into the middle of Republic City and seize it within minutes.

Nothing Meiya and her friends could've done would prevent the fall of the world. One life to save the world… Doesn't sound so bad anymore, does it?"

Kaizu frowned at Ziro, his eyebrows scrunched in confusion.

"It's not just time travel, either. I can jump to and from time AND space. Watch."

Ziro clenched her fist, causing a blue gem on the back of the glove to glow. Suddenly, Ziro disappeared in a quick flash of blue light.

Kaizu frowned and looked around. A moment later, Kaizu felt something kick him in the back and send him flying forward. He flipped around, staring flabbergasted at Ziro, who rubbed two claws of her glove together.

Kaizu clenched his teeth and fired a stream of purple flames at Ziro, she easily wiped them away with her black flames and yawned.

"I bet you wish you still had the power of your Shadow Fire, don't you? You've gotten weaker, Kaizu. But, since I'm feeling generous, I'll level the playing field a little more. Concentrate your flames into a weapon."

Kaizu stood and took another stance, forming a glowing purple blade in his right hand.

"Ah, an old classic. I, however, prefer more unorthodox weaponry." Ziro said, raising her hand, black flames swirled around and formed a jet-black scythe which fell into her hand.

"Luckily, you didn't make a halberd, otherwise, this fight would be totally ripped-off."

"What?" Kaizu asked.

"Nevermind. Time to reap and roll!" Ziro yelled, bounding toward Kaizu and swinging her scythe at him.

Kaizu raised his blade, but was taken aback by the strength behind the scythe's swing, being knocked back in the process.

"I wouldn't underestimate me if I were you. I may be a kid, but I'm a kid with a big scythe and this thing is pretty strong and can do quite a bit of damage.

Kaizu gritted his teeth, sweat running down his brow. Ziro just smiled.

"Better shape up quick if you want to know how to beat the Shadowbenders." she said, lunging at Kaizu again.

**(A/N: I hate ending chapters like this so soon, but fatigue is forcing me to turn to Kaizu vs. Ziro battle into a double feature. After my stress meter resets, I'll start on the second half, but I have to get my thoughts together and work some things out first before that happens…**

**I just made that sound like a long time… Don't worry, it won't be long before you see the second half, just give me the weekend to de-stress. I promise that on Monday or Tuesday, the second half will be up for your enjoyment.**

**Words of encouragement would really be appreciated, but what I REALLY need from you guys is your opinion. Be assured, this is NOT me begging for reviews. Your opinion, no matter how superficial it seems at the moment, is EXTREMELY crucial to this story AND the next.**

**Now, I need you guys to honestly tell me two things. One, do you think Ischi should get pregnant right now? And two, why or why not?**

**If you have the finger strength and patience to think an answer through and type it up, I NEED for you to take a moment and give me your honest opinion, if you don't want this story to fall apart at the seams later on. I've already altered reality and killed a crapload of intense drama ONCE in this story, and I'm not doing it again, if I have a choice.**

**Again, the question may seem superficial on the surface, but your answers are CRUCIAL to the development of this story and its sequel. Thanks for your time, guys, and I promise the next chapter will be up by Tuesday at the latest.**

**Until then, this is SH10, signing out.)**


	45. The Timebender 2

**(A/N: I now have a name for this arc! The Timebender arc! It centers mostly on Ziro and her ability to 'bend' time by traveling and changing things. Get it? I knew you would!**

**Anyway, guys, if you read the bottom A/N on my last chapter, I desperately need your help. If you haven't read it, take a second and go back to read it. It's VERY urgent, and I NEED, not want, NEED the opinion of the public.**

**If I get your opinion, that way, if I have to make changes, I'll know how to change it to make you all happy. If I end up having to change it without the public views, a lot of you may or may not be happy with what I do. Also, I'll be REALLY on the fence about HOW to change what I'm trying to change (Ischi's pregnancy thing. Read the last A/N to learn more.)**

**So, unless you're willing to cross your fingers and hope AGAINST disappointment, I NEED your opinion. I hate disappointing my fans and readers, and I'm sure I'm GOING to if I don't start getting your views…**

**But, on a brighter note, I have a challenge for you all! Somewhere in the previous chapter is a reference to a game that I ADORE! ^^ If you can find it, and are the first to tell me what it is in a review for either this or the last chapter, or in a PM, you will be honorably mentioned in the chapter after this one.**

**Hrm hm! Sarj21 is not allowed to participate in this challenge, since, as a personal friend, I've already told him what the reference is. Don't ruin this for my other readers, man!**

**Now, onto the story!)**

Kaizu and Ziro were locked in vicious combat, sparks flying from their fiery weapons. Kaizu seemed to be on the losing end. His violet flame sword was clearly inferior to Ziro's Shadow Flame Scythe, and if he didn't do something to turn the tide soon, he would be done for.

Ziro, on the other hand, was enjoying herself. She seemed to be giving no effort in defeating her opponent.

After an unlucky miss on Ziro's part, she stumbled, giving Kaizu and opportunity to swing his blade at her. Before he could strike her, however, Ziro disappeared in a blue flash.

Kaizu looked around frantically, catching a glimpse of black flames behind him. He quickly spun around and parried the scythe, which was aimed right at his neck.

Even though the laid-back, mischievous look remained in Ziro's eyes, Kaizu suspected that this was more than just a friendly bout. She was actually attempting to hurt him.

Kaizu and Ziro locked weapons, staring into each other's' faces.

"I think it's time this ends." Ziro said, clenching the fist that held her time-travelling glove. She and Kaizu disappeared in a blue flash, reappearing in the air above the beach.

Ziro kicked Kaizu away, causing him to begin to fall out of the sky. To keep herself suspended, she shot jets of fire from the soles of her feet. Ziro then swung her Shadow Scythe and dug the blade into Kaizu's weapon.

Ziro spun Kaizu in the air twice before launching him into the forest.

Kaizu landed with a thud on the forest floor, still in Ziro's line of sight. She threw her scythe, causing it to spin like a circular saw straight at where Kaizu was, but instead of hitting him, it arched up and swiped a tree in front, setting it ablaze with violent black fire.

Kaizu stood and gasped upon seeing the evil flames destroying the tree. The flames spread to the ground, and some jumped to nearby trees. Kaizu was helpless. Water couldn't extinguish these flames, and he couldn't control them anymore.

In his distraction, Kaizu barely noticed Ziro warp in front of him and strike him in the face with the handle of the scythe. Kaizu's vision blurred and he stumbled backward. Ziro dissipated her scythe, then kneed Kaizu hard in the stomach, causing him to reel forward. Finally, she elbowed him hard on the back of the neck, causing hm to fall to the ground, completely blacked out.

The playful demeanor disappeared from Ziro's face, and she scowled in contempt at her unconscious opponent. Turning around, Ziro launched a stream of fire at the surround forest, giving birth to a powerful, unstoppable forest fire.

She looked one last time at Kaizu.

"Burn in hell, dad… You deserve it…" she whispered evilly before raking her clawed glove through the air. A swirling blue vortex appeared in the air and she stepped through. The portal disappeared moments later.

Kaizu's eyes flickered open for a moment, and he tried to stand, but the overwhelming pain that wracked his body forced him to the ground again. After a few more moments of heavy, forced breathing, he closed his eyes again and slept…

000

"You smell that?" Ischi gasped, sitting straight up in her bed and looking around.

"Ugh… Smell what..?" Meiya groaned, rising and scratching the back of her neck.

"Like… Um… It sort of smells like smoke, but not like any smoke I've ever smelled before. This smoke smells… evil."

"Evil smoke, Ischi? Really?"

"No, no, she's onto something." Zuko said, sitting up and sniffing the air. I've smelled something like this before. It smells kind of like that black fire that Kaizu used to wield."

"It can't be Shadow Fire… The Shadow Sovereignty is all gone."

"It's definitely some kind of fire. I think we should check it out." Ischi said, climbing out of the bed and yawning. She walked out of the bedroom and stepped out onto the balcony of their room, turning her head toward the smell of smoke.

Ischi screamed when she saw the massive pillar of smoke climbing into the air. Moments later, the rest of TeaMeiya scrambled onto the balcony to investigate. In the streets, several large machines were rolling out of the city, toward the burning forest.

"Let's go help them, guys." Meiya said, running back into the room and grabbing her glider. Without missing a beat, she leaped off of the balcony and glided down to where the Sky Bison was parked.

A minute later, Meiya and her wooden flying machine were hovering in front of the balcony, beckoning the rest of the team to climb in.

After taking off again, Meiya stared down at the truly evil fire that was destroying the forest.

"How could this happen? There's no more Shadow Sovereignty here. Kumori ordered everyone back!"

"Remember Katara's story? It didn't have to be someone from the Shadow Sovereignty. It just had to be someone with a powerful amount of negative energy."

"Someone's not a big fan of us." Kohi added.

"More importantly, someone's not familiar with us. We've faced worse than forest fires in our sleep. This shouldn't take more than a few seconds. Kohi, take the controls." Meiya said, standing with her glider and leaping from the Bison, flying down to the beach.

Upon landing, Meiya stared up the beach, at the raging black fire that was killing the forest. The machines that she saw rolling out of town were busy spraying powerful jets of water onto the forest blaze.

With a breath outward, Meiya stretched out her arms and raised them into the air. A large wave rose from the ocean and began to crawl toward the beach, up to the fire. With a powerful crash, the wave stormed into the forest and smothered the flames.

As Kaizu lay unconscious on the ground, a trail of black fire singed the grass beside him, traveling up to the sleeve of his shirt and setting it ablaze. At the same moment, Meiya's giant wave washed over the clearing. Kaizu gasped and sat up, coughing and sputtering.

The black fire around him went out for a moment, but almost immediately blazed up again. Another moment passed, and the fire that was on his shirt started back up as well, despite his soaked clothing. Kaizu, knowing that trying to put it out would be in vain, ripped his sopping shirt away from him and threw it into the fire.

Back at the beach, Meiya continued blasting torrents of water into the forest. Some fires didn't even go out when the water hit them, and other went out, but immediately started up again, stronger than before.

From the air, Kohi was trying to wave away the flames with Airbending, and Ischi was bending the earth in a way to keep the fire from spreading.

Meiya clenched her teeth in frustration. Nothing was working! Out of the corner of her left eye, she saw something fly out of the forest toward her. Her frustration turned to surprise when she saw that it was Kaizu, shooting flames out of his feet to fly.

"Kaizu! You did this?"

"No, of course I didn't. But I know who did." Kaizu said, landing beside Meiya with an exhale.

"Fill me in later! How do we put out these stupid flames?"

"That's just it; you CAN'T put out these flames."

"What? That's impossible! Every flame can be extinguished! They just can't be put out with water, that's all!"

"But-"

"Hold that thought, Kaizu, I just had an idea!" Meiya said, turned and raising her hands toward the sea. Suddenly, a huge glob of wet sand rose from the beach. With a flick of the wrist, Meiya sent the giant sand wave into the forest, glomping the flames and snuffing them out.

"See? All the fire needed was a little persuasion." Meiya said. She turned back to the forest at the sound of something sizzling, then saw tiny black flames beginning to break out of the wet sand. Eventually, the forest blaze was in full swing again!

"Grr… Time for a little master Airbending to send this fire packing!" Meiya yelled, breathing in deeply, then blowing as hard as she could at the flames. She curved the air current she was making toward the sky as she did, causing the flames she collected to fly up into the air. There wasn't a single flame left in the forest after several seconds of Meiya's powerful gale breath.

Meiya stopped blowing and held the flames in the sky using Airbending.

"Good, good. Now make a hole in the ocean and drop it in."

"No way! This fire has pissed me off! I'm going to kill I right here and right now. Since it's air that fuels fire, if I make a vacuum around that fire, it should just disappear, right?"

"Meiya, I wouldn't-"

"Die, fire!" Meiya screamed, swinging her arms out to either side of her.

The air around the fire separated as well, but instead of disappearing, the fire just dropped back into the forest and the blaze started up again.

"Are you SERIOUS?" Meiya screeched, dropping to her knees and burying her face in the sand.

"I told you that you should've dropped it in the ocean. Air doesn't fuel Shadow Fire. Negative energy does. The only way to get rid of it is for someone else who can control Shadow Fire to absorb it."

"Well, you can't control Shadow Fire anymore, and I can't-"

"Wait, can't you Shadowbend?" Kaizu asked.

"Yeah, why?" Meiya questioned, using one finger to raise a small blob of shadow from the ground.

"Shadowbending requires negative energy."

"True, but I can't Shadow Firebend." Meiya said, conjuring a normal flame on one finger.

"Yeah, but you COULD. All you have to do is tap into your negative power."

"You mean free Kumori again?" Meiya asked with a furl of her eyebrows.

"No, no. Just take some of her power from inside of you."

Meiya exhaled and sat down, cross-legged. "Alright, I'll try…"

Meiya closed her eyes and her hairrow and tattoos glowed bright white.

When Meiya opened her eyes again, she was standing in front of a giant ball of inky black shadows. Occasionally, a blob of shadow would drop from the ball and sizzle and melt on the golden clouds below it.

Chained to the shadow ball was the younger Kumori that TeaMeiya fought on D-Day.

"Hey, you." Meiya called, causing Kumori to stir and look down at Meiya with a scowl. "You mind lending me some of your power?"

"Why would I give you my strength? I would never use my negative powers to help that of the light! This world was born in darkness, and it should STAY in darkness!"

"Well, I tried." Meiya said, pointing a hand at Kumori. The Shadowbender yelled out as dark power was forcefully ripped from her body and flown into Meiya's hand.

"Good talk, Kumori. Maybe we can do it again sometime." Meiya said, smiling as she crushed the ball of dark power in her hands. The energy surrounded her body, and caused her to gasp and awaken in the real world.

Meiya jumped to her feet and began to twist and writhe as if she was in pain. Suddenly, Meiya's tattoos flashed from white to red, constantly and more rapidly, until Meiya's body was engulfed in a bright pink light. When the light ebbed away, Kaizu tensed himself. It looked as if Meiya had transformed into Kumori again, but there was no evil or malice in her eyes. In fact, she looked kind of confused.

"Are… Are you Meiya or Kumori right now?" Kaizu asked.

"… Neither, I guess. I have Meiya's mind, but I also have Kumori's body and powers."

"So… Kumeiya?"

"Uh, no. No name melds. That's so cheesy. For all it's worth, just keep calling me Meiya. It's easier that way."

"Alright, then. Since you now have Kumori's energy, you can control Shadow Fire, right?" Kaizu asked, looking from the blaze to Meiya.

Meiya raised her finger and lighted a dark, flickering flame. "Looks like it. Time to end this!" Meiya said with vigor, leaping into the blaze and dissipating any black flames she came across.

Minutes later, Meiya had just about gotten rid of all the flames except for the most powerful ones at the epicenter. She stepped through the cracked, burned husks that used to be trees and looked upon the most violent of the flames. When she saw what was among them she gasped.

"_ROOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAR!_"

Meiya was thrown back by a powerful force and landed softly on the beach. The roar tore through the sky again, and a flame-built monster lumbered out from the tree corpses, its flaming muscular body burning an evil black. Flickering horns jutted from the monster's temples, and its lower body was simply a pillar of fire scorching the sand and turning it into little crusts of glass underneath it.

"What in the world?" Meiya yelled, standing and dodging the ethereal beast's fiery fists. She used Airbending to launch herself into the air, landing beside Kaizu. "Kaizu, what the heck IS that thing?"

"It's an elemental. The negative energy that gave birth to that forest fire must've been especially powerful if it was able to conjure a monster like this from The Plane and corrupt it."

"The Plane? What's that?"

"Kill now; talk later." Kaizu said, backpedaling as the monster roared and charged toward him and Meiya.

Meiya dodged to one side, pulling Kaizu with her. "You mind talking long enough to tell me HOW to kill it?"

"Its flames are corrupted, as Shadow Flames are. They cannot be put out, and because the flames are sentient, you cannot absorb them."

"Gee, that helps a lot." Meiya growled, leaping above the beast as it charged again. Kaizu dodged to the side.

"Situationally, you can't kill it. The only way to be rid of this thing is to banish it back to The Plane. To do that, you require a complex set of spiritual energy and jings to be flowed out of your body in a set order and frequency. Next, you-"

"Forget that!" Meiya said, stretching out her hands. A tentacle of water rose out of the ocean and wrapped itself around the elemental. The tentacle then lifted the elemental into the air and violently slammed it into the ground multiple times, until it went limp.

The battered fire creature groaned in agony as Meiya commanded the giant tentacle to stretch itself far out into the sea, almost out of sight. With a mighty stomp, Meiya caused a hole to open up in the water, and made the tentacle throw the creature in, closing the hole behind it.

"Or you could throw it in the ocean…" Kaizu said with a shrug.

"Now tell me from the beginning, what the heck we just fought." Meiya said. Her tattoos flashed white one, then her appearance changed back to normal.

"That thing was a Fire Elemental. The negative energy generated by that much Shadow Fire must've opened up a gateway to The Plane and sucked out that thing. Ironically, Fire Elementals are normally quite docile, but this one was corrupted by the Shadow Fire it was surrounded by and went on a rampage."

"How do you know all that?"

"I've studied the physical, spiritual, and elemental planes from my m- Hrm! I mean from Kumori."

"Guys!" yelled Kohi's voice from the sky. Meiya looked up to see the Bison circling above. "Hey, guys! We're headed back to the city! You want to ride with us?"

"Nah, we're going to stay here for a little bit! Kaizu's got some things to tell me!" Meiya yelled back.

Kohi pulled the Bison up into the sky and soared back toward the city. The firefighting machines had rumbled off long ago after realizing that water was ineffective and that Ischi had upheaved the earth to cage off the fire.

Meiya looked from the sky to Kaizu, frowning.

"Alright, let's start with 'Who started the fire?'"

000

"Damn." Ziro murmured from the Republic City wall after seeing the aftermath. "Oh, well… One small loss. I did gain a lot from it, though. Guess I'd better study up on this 'Plane'. Who knows how that could benefit me?"

She laughed to herself as she raked her clawed glove through the air and stepped through the resulting portal.

000

Ziro stepped out of the portal she created, flinching at the extreme heat that met her. She was standing in a room made of obsidian, where large fountains of lava flowed on either end of the room, and a giant flaming throne sat in the center. Sitting on the throne was a giant man who seemed to be armored in magma. Small jets of flame occasionally erupted from the cracks in his armor, and lava freely flowed from a hole in the front and back of his chest armor and his shoulder plates. His bottom jaw was made of a large, thick cut of iron, which remained grey and cool, despite the obviously staggering heat that surrounded it.

"I am Ragnarok… Deity of Ragnar, the Plane of Fire. Who are you, human, and how have you found this place..?"

"Greeting, Ragnarok." Ziro said, wiping her brow and bowing. "I am Ziro, and I have a small request to ask."

"…." Ragnarok stayed silent for several moments. "Speak, human."

"If it's not too much trouble, could you teach me how to purposely summon lesser Fire Elementals?"

"Am I to presume, that from your question, you are the cause of the negative disturbance that I felt on my plane minutes ago?" Ragnarok asked with a raise of his obsidian eyebrow.

"You may. That was an unintentional circumstance, however."

"I wouldn't think that a Timebender would know the meaning of the word 'unintentional'."

"Heh. Timebender. I like the sound of that. But rest assured, Ragnarok, I wish not to use your Elementals for malicious purposes. Just… for self-defense."

Ziro looked up and met the flaming eyes of the large fire deity for a long moment…

**(A/N: W0:00T! That's a wrap! It's getting mysterious now! Just note that this is the first and last time we'll see The Elemental Plane until the next story. The Plane is a major setting and plays a major role in the next story, which I now have a title for. Not telling you, yet, though!**

**Anyway, I got some good opinions from you guys concerning Ischi and her pregnancy (or lack, thereof, depending on how the scale tips in the end), and I think I've just about reached a decision, but I need a couple more views from you guys before I make a final decision.**

**Nothing much else to say, other than the next chapter will be up a little later, thanking to summer reading. Blegh… But until then, this is SH10, signing out. Peace, ma bruddas!**


	46. Loose Ends

**(A/N: Alright, guys, here's the deal. Even though I've only gotten a few opinions on the Ischi pregnancy thing, I've come to a final decision. We're about to resolve this little plot device with a twist. Stay tuned to see how I do it!**

**In other news, Avatard gave me a guess as to what the reference was that I gave two chapters ago. However, Avatard, you were not clear as to what game that reference was tied to. You can either try to guess the reference again or elaborate the reference you gave.**

**In OTHER other news, ON TO THE STORY!)**

"Ziro, you said?"

"Yes… I believe that she's my daughter in the future, and the forest fire was a means to kill me and not draw suspicion to it being a murder." Kaizu said with a serious expression. He and Meiya stood on the roof of the hotel, watching as the sun rose.

"Why would your own daughter try to kill you?" Meiya asked with a look of concern.

"I'm not sure, exactly, but I heard her say that I deserved it before passing out."

"Hmm… Well, you weren't the best person in the world before turning against Kumori… You think she could hold a grudge against something you did?"

"I'm not sure… All I've really done in this time is control the Fire Nation's capital and… unintentionally played a hand in killing the Fire Lord…"

"Yeah… Some people get upset by those things. Does Zuko know?"

"He and I talked about it. He knows that his father is dead. He figured it out after getting the news that the war machines would not be joining the D-Day War. I felt it best, however, to withhold the fact that it was MY Shadow Bolt that ended up killing him. It won't do any good to have his pent-up aggression and sorrow aimed at me. But I digress. What does this have to do with Ziro, again?"

"You didn't… you know… like… 'assert your dominance' while you were in New Zuko, did you?"

"I'm not that kind of man. I'd never assault a woman for any reason. However…"

"However…" Meiya pressed, raising an eyebrow.

"I did meet a woman in New Zuko-"

"Who wasn't pissed that you took over her nation and killed the Fire Lord?"

"I don't think she knew. For that matter, I don't think anybody from the Fire Nation knew. I left immediately after he fell; I didn't stick around to actually take over the nation. I just came back later to be an overseer of sorts."

"Ah. Anyway, this woman…"

"Miye was her name."

"Miye? Like, my name jumbled around and missing the 'a'?" Meiya asked, looking up to the sky. "Yeah, real original."

"What?" Kaizu asked, not following.

"Nevermind. Anyway, you got her pregnant and left?"

"It's not that simple. I love Miye and I was forced to leave. Had I a choice, I'd have stayed with her and our child, but I couldn't just ignore Kumori. At that time, I thought she was my mother and my Sovereign."

"Now that she's not either anymore, I bet you feel like a goof, huh?" Meiya joked.

"…" Kaizu stared coldly at Meiya.

"Sorry, sorry. Back on topic, it's starting to fall into place now. Miye must be pregnant with Ziro, and since you left, and the Shadow Sovereignty is gone, and the Fire Nation Royal Family is scattered, Ziro was forced to grow up in anarchy, and she blames you for that, since there's no one else to blame."

"Makes enough sense…"

"You've faced her in battle, right? What's she like?"

"She can bend time and space." Kaizu said simply. Meiya just stared at him. "Let me elaborate… She has a gauntlet that can allow her to 'jump' to wherever and whenever she wants. She's a Firebender by nature, but the gauntlet makes her dangerous. She's willing to kill to achieve her goals, whatever they may be at the time."

"Clearly." Meiya said. "You think we're targets? Evil people tend to go after the good guys."

"I wouldn't call her evil."

"What would you call a crazy kid who tries to murder her father and kills people for her own goals?"

"Angry and determined. I'm sure that she's not evil. Even though I'm not entirely sure what it is she truly wants."

"I'm sure of ONE thing she wants." Meiya said, turning to Kaizu. "Vengeance. No matter how pure her intentions may be in the long run, she tried to kill one of my friends, and that doesn't fly with me. We're going to find this Ziro and set her straight!"

"There's another reason we have to find her." Kaizu said.

"Huh? What do you mean?"

Kaizu took a folded piece of paper from his pocket and handed it to Meiya. She unfolded it, staring at the crude coloring of the rocket ship.

"Did you… pull out the wrong paper?" Meiya asked.

"No. That, that you're holding, is how we're going to get ourselves and an army to the future to silence the Shadow Sovereignty one and for all. It's a machine that can travel in space. It's a long story, but Ziro got ahold of this and told me that-"

"What? Wait, wait, pause! You saw Ziro before the forest fire and didn't tell us?" Meiya interrupted, staring at Kaizu with a surprised face.

"It wouldn't have mattered. She-"

"Pssh! Wouldn't have mattered, he says! If you had come clean with us about Ziro when you first met with her, we could've had your back when you fought her! We could've prevented that forest fire! We could've kept your life out of risk!"

"And for what? Ziro wanted me. If any of you had interfered, she wouldn't have given me the information I needed."

"What information?"

"Where the real blueprints are for this thing. She told me if I fought her and won, she'd tell me how to find them."

"Well, we're going to find Ziro and FORCE her to give up her information."

"How? She can be anywhere at all in the world. She might not even be in our time period anymore."

"Oh, rest assured, I'll be sticking around for a little bit." laughed a voice behind the both of them. Meiya and Kaizu turned to see Ziro, smiling at the both of them.

Meiya whipped out her staff and held it in a defensive position. Kaizu stepped back, taking a defensive stance.

"Cool your jets, you two. I'm not here to start anything or finish anyone."

"How long have you been spying on us?" Meiya questioned.

"Long enough. I still have what you need, Meiya."

"The location of the spaceship blueprints. Where are they?"

"Do you honestly believe that I'm going to tell you at this juncture? The game just started. You can't jump to the last level right away."

"What do you want, then?"

"Same thing I wanted from Kaizu. Beat me and I'll tell you everything you want to know."

Meiya was about to step forward, but Kaizu stopped her and shook his head at her.

"She's not telling us everything we NEED to know right NOW."

"He's right." Ziro said with a nod. "You and the rest of your team meet me tomorrow at the base of the Icecrown."

"I-Icecrown?" Kaizu repeated, surprised.

"Did I stutter? If you want your precious information, you'll come. I'll see you there." Ziro said, waving at the two shocked teammates before clenching her fist and warping away.

"The Icecrown is the largest mountain in the entire world, by a HUGE margin. I hope she doesn't expect us to CLIMB it. No one's ever tried to conquer the Icecrown and survived." Kaizu said.

"I guess we'll find out when we get there. Better tell the others." Meiya sighed, walking toward the roof stairs to travel back down to their hotel room.

000

"THE ICECROWN?" was the resounding surprised scream from Zuko, Ischi, and Kohi.

"Why would we possibly go there?" Ischi asked. "The legendary Icecrown has killed stronger people than the five of us combined!"

"Calm down. We don't know that we're going to climb the Icecrown yet, but tomorrow, that's where we're going. Get all of your Republic City activities out of the way today, because after tomorrow, we're probably not coming back. Most importantly, when we do leave, we're not making ANY STOPS. Do I make myself clear?"

"Crystal…" Kohi said with a sad sigh.

"Now, carry on." Meiya said, turning and walking out of the room.

"How are you going to spend your day, Meiya?" Kohi asked, following her temple-mate down the hall.

"Not with you, so stop following me."

"Daw, come on! Don't be like that! Just tell me! Please?"

Meiya sighed and turned to Kohi with an annoyed glower.

"If you must know, I'm going to talk to someone."

"Who? Why?" Kohi persisted.

Meiya gritted her teeth, then sighed again.

"I'm going to find Rolan, a friend I met at the Falls. And I'm going to tell him that it's not going to work out between us." Meiya said, turning and continuing to walk down the hall. Kohi didn't follow her.

000

Later that day, Ischi and Zuko found themselves alone in their hotel room and found time to talk.

"For the last time, Zuko, NO!" Ischi yelled, stamping her foot.

"Ischi, this is our LAST possible day or else we risk taking away the time we have left before reality falls apart! Why can't you just stop being selfish?" Zuko yelled back.

"I'm NOT being selfish! YOU'RE the selfish one! You don't care about my feelings at all! If you did, you'd understand why I don't want this yet!"

"And why's that?"

"Well, for starters, we're not even married yet! If we're not bonded, it won't be special!"

"Not everything we do has to be special and sacred, Ischi!"

"You see? That proves that you don't care about my feelings. You know how much I feel about tradition, and it's traditional for couples, especially royal couples, to wait until they are married to make love. You're just a…. Just a…. Just a selfish jerk!" Ischi seethed, turning away from Zuko.

"Would a selfish jerk leave his family behind to travel the world with you? Ischi, you're not thinking clearly! You're scared, aren't you?"

"Scared? Of course I'm not scared! I love you Zuko!"

"You sure DID love me on our anniversary, when we were minutes away from making love unmarried. What happened to THAT Ischi?"

"THAT Ischi was overjoyed that you DIDN'T forget our anniversary for the third time in a row! THAT Ischi wasn't thinking straight! THIS Ischi is offended that you want THAT filthy skank Ischi instead of the REAL Ischi!"

"Ischi-"

"Is that all you want from me, Zuko? Is that all you want me to be, your whore?"

"That's not what I-"

"Not what you meant? Of course it's not! You never mean what you say when you're WRONG!"

The argument continued to escalate and voices continued to rise until both Zuko and Ischi were red in the face.

"What is going on in here?" Kaizu yelled at the both of them upon entering the room and hearing the loud argument.

Both verbal combatants began trying to loudly explain their case to Kaizu at the same time, but he was having none of it.

"ENOUGH! Ischi, you explain first."

"Zuko is being selfish towards my feelings! All he wants from me is my body! He doesn't love me at all!"

"Zuko, what's your explanation?"

"Ischi is only thinking about herself and not the fate of reality! She'd rather retain her chastity than keep the universe's collapse from getting closer!"

Kaizu sighed, and pinched the skin between his eyebrows as Ischi and Zuko continued to argue.

"What is your problem, Ischi? Why can't you just do this, not for us, but for Kaizu, and if not for Kaizu than for everybody else?" Zuko demanded.

"Because there's no love! If we don't have any love about this, Zuko, than it's meaningless! All I want is for this to be special, and you won't let that happen!"

"Sigh… I knew I couldn't trust you two…"

Kaizu's murmur drew the attention of both quarrelers.

"Trust us with what?"

"Ischi's not supposed to get pregnant now."

"Wh-what?" Zuko and Ischi said at the same time.

"B-But…" Ischi choked with surprise. "You told us that now was the right time."

"I lied. I wanted to test you."

"Test us? But… how?"

"I used Meiya and Kohi to lure you two away from each other and put pressure on you. I reminded Meiya about her spar with Zuko, which she had forgotten, and I convinced Kohi that spending as much time as possible with Ischi would ease some of the sadness of Khole going away." Kaizu explained. Zuko and Ischi gasped as he continued.

"My goal was to test how you could handle intimate pressure. Obviously, that was a mistake. You two are most definitely compatible, but you work and act under pressure about as well as children would. It doesn't take a lot to tear you two apart, and that's what worries me…"

Ischi and Zuko looked worriedly at each other.

"The real time that I'm supposed to be born is 6 months away. That's the truth. And that should be plenty of time to mend the damage that these past two days have caused for you two."

Kaizu turned and walked out of the room, closing it gently behind him.

Ischi sniffled once, then walked up to Zuko and wrapped her arms around him.

"Zuko, I'm sorry…"

"No, you shouldn't be. I should be sorry, and I am."

"But I really WAS being selfish."

"I was being MORE selfish."

Ischi sighed and snuggled her head into Zuko's chest.

"Were we really just about to have another stupid fight about how we were more wrong than each other?"

"Yeah… You think we need help?" Zuko asked, stroking Ischi's hair.

"Probably." Ischi answered, slightly tightening her grip on Zuko's shirt. "We're completely dysfunctional."

"No connection at all…" Zuko whispered, staring into Ischi's eyes and pulling her a little closer. As they continued whispering to each other, both of them slowly leaned in closer to each other.

"It's almost as if…"

"We're complete strangers…"

"No love…" both of them said at the same time before meeting in a gentle, tender, lasting kiss.

000

Later that evening…

"Where were you all day? I looked all over Republic City, but I couldn't find you." Meiya whined to Rolan as she sat across from him at the King's Bounty restaurant, after receiving and eating their food.

"You're so into me that you tried to hunt me down?" Rolan laughed. "That's a first."

"Heh, I bet it is. So, where were you? Soaking at the Falls and hitting on more pretty girls?"

"Maybe." Rolan said slyly, which was answered with a punch on the arm. "Hey, you'll never know if you'll meet ANOTHER beautiful Avatar relaxing in the springs who conveniently forgot their bathing suit."

"For the last time, I didn't FORGET a bathing suit; I don't HAVE one!" Meiya protested with a smile. She didn't miss the 'beautiful' compliment and blushed a little as she talked. "Seriously, where were you?"

"Honestly, I was checking out that place where the forest caught fire. I heard that water couldn't put it out and that a certain someone with an arrow in her hair swooped down from a mechanical Bison and saved the day. You wouldn't happen to have any idea who that might be, do you?"

"Hrm… Nope, nobody comes to mind."

As Meiya and Rolan continued to laugh and converse, Meiya continually noticed that it was getting darker.

"Hey, Rolan-"

"You know, Meiya, the more I'm around you, the more I'm sure that these feelings I have for you are real."

"I can see that… But there's something-"

"I think that you and I are meant to be." Rolan said, reaching over and taking Meiya's hand. "We're perfect for each other, and since the Shadowbenders are gone, you could-"

"Rolan, stop!" Meiya protested. "I have to leave with my friends tomorrow."

"H-Huh?" Rolan stuttered, stunned. "Why?"

"It's complicated... But my work isn't done yet." Meiya said. "My team and I are going to the Icecrown tomorrow."

"What? The Icecrown?" Rolan yelled, standing. "Do you know how dangerous the Icecrown is? I can't let you do that!"

"Rolan, stop…"

"No, Meiya, I WON'T stop! I can't let you go out and kill yourself! I love you!"

The entire restaurant fell silent. A couple 'aw's floated around. Meiya's eyes widened and her jaw dropped. She regained her composure a moment later and took Rolan's arm, pulling him outside.

"Rolan, I know you're surprised, upset, and sad, but you can't just say stuff like that." Meiya said to him.

"And why not?"

"Because you don't mean it."

"Yes I do! How can you tell me that I don't mean that?"

"Rolan, we've only known each other for a little more than 24 hours."

"Meiya, I loved you from the moment I saw you." Rolan said, taking Meiya's shoulders. "I've met a lot of girls and have dated a few girls before, but none of them make me feel the way you do. You complete me, Meiya."

"Rolan…"

"Do you feel the same way, Meiya? I need to hear it from you."

Meiya stayed silent for several seconds before wrapping her arms around Rolan's neck, standing on her toes, and kissing him.

Rolan pulled Meiya into a hug and held the kiss for several seconds. When they pulled away, Meiya's cheeks were bright red.

"I do feel the same way, Rolan. No one's ever treated me the way you treat me. I-I love you, too. But I still have to leave."

"Then let me come with you." Rolan said.

"You know I can't do that… This is way too dangerous and I can't risk you getting hurt, or worse."

"But how can I let YOU do that?"

"I'm the Avatar. This is my job. I'm sorry, Rolan, but I have to go."

"I'll wait for you." Rolan said, pulling Meiya into a hug.

"Um, excuse me…" said a third voice. Meiya and Rolan turned to see a waitress staring at the two of them. "Are either of you going to pay for your food?"

"I will." Rolan said. "So… Is this goodbye?"

"For now. We'll see each other again, someday, I know it." Meiya said, simultaneously remembering what she said to her team that morning. _"Get all of your Republic City activities out of the way today, because after tomorrow, we're probably not coming back."_

"Alright. I'll see you, Meiya." Rolan said, waving as he walked back into the restaurant.

"See you, too…" Meiya whispered, weakly waving back before beginning to walk back to the hotel.

**(A/N: And there you have it! Chapter complete! After doing a lot of analysis and deep thinking, I've decided against Ischi getting pregnant. In the long run, it would not be practical, especially for what I'm planning in the future.**

**Not much else to say here, other than this chapter is coming to you straight from Savannah, Georgia! It's my family's first and only stop on our trip to DISNEYWORLD! YAY!**

**Whew! Now that that's out of my system… I'll probably be having too much fun at DW to focus on my story, so don't expect any updates next week. I'm not saying that there WON'T be, just… don't get your hopes up about it.**

**Oh, well. Next chapter will be up "soon". So, until then, this is SH10, signing out!)**


	47. Chaotic Unity

**(A/N:** **Surprise! I couldn't bear the thought of have to leave you all hanging for a whole week, so whenever I got free time, I thought about what I would put in this chapter! That's why it's coming to you so early!**

**Now, onto the surprise chapter!)**

Citizens stared up at the sky and began to cheer as the Sky Bison cruised across the sky toward the Republic City gates. Meiya looked down from the head of the Bison at all of the happy citizens cheering, whistling, and waving as they departed. She sighed heavily and turned back to the sky.

"Are they happy that we're leaving?" Kaizu asked, furling his eyebrows.

"No, they're… They're, uh… I'm not sure what, actually. Ischi, why do people cheer when important people leave a city?" Meiya asked, turning away from the sky again.

"Usually to wish them good luck on whatever their future endeavors may be." Ischi said, smiling brightly as she laid her head on Zuko's lap. "It's happened enough times with me."

"You're awfully Kohi-y today. What's YOUR problem?" Meiya asked, pulling the Bison into autopilot and climbing into the saddle with the rest of her team.

"No problem at all. I'm just really happy, is all."

"Even though we're going to perhaps the most dangerous thing in Water Tribe territory?"

"Don't be a downer, Meiya. I'm sure that we'll be fine." Kohi yawned sleepily. "I wish Khole was still here so she could tell us what the Icecrown is like."

"How do you know that she would know that?" Meiya questioned.

"I dunno… Just seemed like something that Khole would know about. I miss Khole."

"We all miss Khole." Ischi seconded. Meiya and Zuko nodded. Kaizu wasn't paying attention.

"I wonder what she's doing right now?" Kohi wondered with a sigh.

000

With a mighty scream, a brown-skinned figure leaped from the thick tree she hid in, landing on the back of a large animal, who roared in defiance.

"You're not getting away this time!" yelled Khole's voice. "I've been tracking you for two days and you've already slipped out of my grasp once! I WILL tame you, Armadillo Bear!"

Khole slowly crawled up the shelled monster's back as it bucked back and forth and up and down to throw Khole off. She reached to touch the bear's snout, but at the last moment, it curled up into its shell, causing Khole to slide forward and land on her back.

Khole quickly rolled to one side as the Armadillo Bear began to roll forward. It charged into the forest and disappeared.

"Not again! Not this time!" Khole yelled, running after it. "I'll follow you to the ends of the Earth Kingdom!"

000

"I'm sure that she's out trying to tame some kind of land animal." Meiya said with a shrug, in response to Kohi's inquiry.

"So, how far away is the Icecrown supposed to be?" Zuko asked.

"There it is." Kaizu said, pointing starboard.

"What? We're there already?" Meiya asked, looking to where Kaizu was pointing.

"No. It's just so tall that we can see it from here. Looks like a couple days' worth of flying before we get there."

"That's not too bad!" Kohi said enthusiastically. "Wanna sing some songs to pass the-"

"No." Meiya said firmly, climbing back into the pilot's seat. "No songs. Especially not from you."

"What do you have against music, Meiya?" Ischi asked. "And Kohi?"

"Kohi's a big bright bubble of annoying. And music is distracting. The best sound that could possibly come to my ears is no sound at all."

"That doesn't sound right. I would assume that Airbenders would love music and pleasant sounds."

"Pleasant sounds? Yes. Music? No. Kohi? No. Silence? Perfect. I'm no different than many other Airbenders. Even Aang, the most eccentric person that comes to mind, enjoyed peace and quiet. Kohi's not normal. She HATES quiet."

"I do." Kohi agreed. "I'm at peace when I'm active!"

"Well, peace and quiet doesn't sound TOO bad to me, but I do enjoy music and the sounds of nature." Ischi said. "What I can't stand is rain… I find the stupid pitter-patter of rain about as annoying as you find Kohi's voice."

"You mean you want to kill rain every once in a while?" Meiya asked, turning around and smiling at Ischi.

"Hey!" Kohi pouted.

"What about you Zuko?" Ischi asked.

"I don't like rain, either. Especially heavy rain. It's overwhelming. I enjoy the sound of fire crackling."

"Of course you do." Meiya said, rolling her eyes.

"But what I enjoy most is being able to see my beautiful fiancé every day."

"Aww…" Ischi said, sitting up and kissing Zuko on the cheek.

"Blegh… What about you, Kaizu? Do you find anything particularly annoying or soothing?" Meiya asked.

"Not in particular." Kaizu said, not turning away from the ocean.

"Do you find people in general annoying? Because you don't seem like a very social person." Kohi asked.

"When you've grown up in a city wracked by war and suffering, you don't get many opportunities to make friends."

"Oh…"

"When I've given birth to you, we're going to have to raise you better than Kumori did. Isn't that right, Zuko?"

"You know, I have another thing I find annoying: lovey-dovies like you two." Meiya said.

"Jealous, Meiya?" Ischi teased.

"Oh, Meiya doesn't need to be jealous!" Kohi said. Meiya turned around and shot Kohi a perfect 'I'm going to kill you in your sleep.' look.

"Oh, really? You've met somebody, Miss Hypocrite?"

"I'm not a hypocrite. I never said I hated romance. Just overly romantic people like you that feel the need to publically display your irritating affection every other minute."

"Hm. Tell us about this guy you're seeing." Ischi said with a smile.

"I don't have to tell you anything." Meiya defied, sticking her tongue out at Ischi.

"Kohi?"

"His name's Rolan and she broke up with him yesterday."

"KOHI!" Meiya screamed, almost pulling the Bison right out of the sky as she jumped back into the saddle to strangle her. Ischi and Zuko held Meiya back before she could strike.

"Meiya! What happened?" Ischi asked sympathetically.

"Rolan's that guy you saw me with at the springs a couple days ago… We went out again last night, and when I told him we were leaving… he told me that he loved me."

The entire airship gasped except for Kaizu, who turned toward Meiya with a look of concern and interest.

"And then I… I kissed him."

Another gasp, louder than the last one. Kaizu's eyebrows rose slightly.

"Y-Y-You actually kissed a guy?" Kohi asked, flabbergasted.

"Then I told him that I loved him, too…"

Another gasp, much louder than the last.

"Guys, you're going to hurt yourselves." Meiya said blandly.

"I think I see your issue with me and Zuko now." Ischi said.

"It's not you two that I have the problem w-"

"You're sour that your relationship ended before it could really begin, and me and Zuko's romantic banter irritate you because of it."

"Ischi, I don't think you-"

"Am I right?"

Meiya growled, then sighed in defeat. "Yeah. You're right."

Meiya furled her eyebrows in confusion when Ischi scooched over and gave Meiya a hug. "What are you doing?"

"Showing you that we all love you. Don't we, guys?"

"Yup!" Kohi said, lunging forward and wrapping her arms around Meiya.

Zuko shrugged and hugged Meiya, too.

Kaizu thought about it for a second before shaking his head and patting Meiya on the shoulder before turning back to the ocean.

000

"What's wrong, big guy? You want a piece of this? I'm right here!" Khole taunted, banging her chest at the Armadillo Bear that was charging toward her. It rolled up into its shell just seconds before impact to cause the most amount of damage.

At the last possible moment, Khole ducked out of the way, and the rolling bear smashed into the tree behind her, recoiling out of its shell and landing in its back.

"Gotcha!" Khole yelled in victory, calmly pressing a hand to the bear's snout and sending waves of green energy into the animal. The energy was primal and rough, but it seemed to sooth the land beast, and eventually it stopped its kicking and rolled back over, looking expectantly at Khole.

"Another land beast conquered! Yes! That makes a grand total of two!" Khole yelled in victory, climbing onto the Armadillo Bear's back. "I am so good at this. Alright, Rollie, to Omashu!"

The shelled bear threw its head up and down, as if to nod, then began to run through the forest.

000

"So, how do you feel about rain, Kaizu? The rest of us hate it." Meiya asked.

"I'm not too keen on being cold, and I'm not too keen on being wet… In other words, I hate rain, too."

"So, we're all in agreement. Rain sucks." Meiya nodded. I

"Yup!" Kohi agreed.

"Sure does." Ischi seconded.

"Hm." Zuko and Kaizu nodded.

In the hull, Kisi climbed out and jumped onto Meiya's shoulder.

"How about you, buddy? Do you despise rain as much as the rest of us?"

Kisi chattered in what sounded like a strong agreement.

Moments later, a clap of thunder rolled off of the clouds above them, which seemed to darken in the last several seconds. Another few moments, later, it began showering overwhelmingly.

"Of course… I should've seen this coming…" Meiya groaned.

"These dark clouds go on for miles…" Ischi noticed.

"And they're really thick… It could rain for at least a few hours." Kohi said.

Kisi chattered angrily and jumped off of Meiya's shoulder, climbing back into the storage hull.

"I wish I had something funny to say about this…" Meiya said after a few more minutes of flying.

000

Kumori stared out at her world, watching the heavy rain pour down on the reconstruction project that continued to restructure and rebuild her city even through the inclement weather.

"I always hated rain…" Kumori said crossly, turning away from the window and walking further into her chamber. She looked up at a gilded-framed portrait of a middle-aged man who wore a smile, looking down at the small, snowy-haired girl in his arms.

"But I've always loved you…" she said, kissing her palm and placing it on the face of the portrait. "Always, Rolan…"

-flashback-

_Rolan and Kumori stood atop the roof of the Republic City Hall, newly seized and under the Shadowbender's control. She watched as her familiar wooden flying machine cruised off into the distance, the defeated passengers sadly averting their eyes from the carnage that ensued inside the city as the small resistance that tried to form was easily crushed underfoot by Kumori's footsoldiers._

_Kumori turned to Rolan, who looked sadly upon the black fires and the rain of blood that showered his home._

"_You are upset, I can tell." she said to him. Rolan was about to say something in response, but Kumori placed a finger on his lips and shushed him._

"_Don't think ill of me… I am no different from my former persona. I only want what's best for the world: unity. Balance can be easily disrupted, but unity is a bond that lasts for much longer. Wouldn't you rather this world be bonded than balanced?"_

"_I… would."_

"_My mission is one of peace. I wish to destroy the borders of the world and unite us under the comfort of the shadows." Kumori continued, pulling Rolan closer to her. "Do you love me, Rolan? You can't deny your feelings."_

"_I do, Meiya… I love you so much… I-" Rolan started, but Kumori shushed him._

"_My name isn't Meiya. It is Kumori. Don't look like that, Rolan. I am the same person, just with a different name and a different mission. And I love you, as well. Here… Let me show you just how much I love you." Kumori whispered to Rolan, leaning forward and meeting his lips._

_000_

_Two years later…_

_Kumori, now declared Sovereign of Republic City, sat silently in her secret bunker, hidden underneath the Paradise Falls. Two heavily armored guards stood behind the throne she sat in, while two more stood on either side of it. Four more guards stood on either side of the room, and another four guards stood on either side of the door to the bunker._

_There was no battle on the surface. Her life was not being compromised. No, the reason for her hiding and her extreme protection was that Kumori's belly swelled with life._

_She calmly stroked her womb as she sipped her tea with her other hand. She raised her head as the bunker doors opened. The twelve guards in the room immediately leapt into action, their halberds at the ready._

"_At ease. It is my husband." Kumori said with a smile. Rolan breathed outward, scared for his life for a couple of moments. He walked into the room and up to Kumori's throne, helping her to her feet and gently kissing her, placing one hand softly on his wife's swollen belly._

"_How are you feeling?" Rolan asked._

"_I think today might be the day. I can feel her moving." Kumori said._

"_Today IS the scheduled delivery day. That's why I brought doctors with me to stay with you, just in case."_

"_You're always thinking about me." Kumori said with a blush._

"_Well, you're always too busy to think about yourself, so somebody has to do it for you." Rolan joked._

_Kumori smiled and opened her mouth to say something, but suddenly, she furled her eyebrows and looked perplexed._

"_What?" Rolan asked._

"_I think… I think my water just broke."_

_000_

_Minutes later…_

"_!"_

"_Rolan, stop screaming! If you can't be a man about this, leave the room!" Kumori yelled at him. Rolan nodded and quickly found his way outside, sighing._

_He could barely believe it. This was the day that he would become a father. Just the thought made him weak in the knees._

_Rolan stayed outside with his frantic thoughts for a couple of minutes more, before a piercing screech that wasn't his pierced the air. Rolan ran back into the room to see a beautiful baby girl crying in the doctor's arms and his horrified wife sitting in a growing pool of blood and hyperventilating._

"_R-R-Rolan..! H-Help me!"_

_000_

_One year and six months later…_

"_You STOLE someone's child?" Rolan yelled at his wife after she explained the presence of the sleeping little boy in her arms._

"_I didn't steal him! I saved him!"_

"_He's a Resistance kid! The Resistance could've saved him! You've probably strengthened the aggression between yourself and the Resistance! I thought this was a mission of peace! One of unity! You're killing people and destroying your own world!"_

"_I don't have to listen to this!" Kumori seethed, turning and walking with the child down the hall. In one doorway, a young Reigo watched with teary eyes._

_000_

_Twenty years later…_

"_K-Kumori! What are you doing?" Rolan demanded, backing away from his wife, who had, just moments ago, tried to stab him through the neck with a shadow spike._

"_You're a traitor, Rolan. Reigo told me that she saw you leaking our war tactics to the Resistance."_

"_Meiya, you're making a mistake. You're not fighting for unity, just control! You have to stop this!"_

_Kumori's tattoos glowed bright red, and her voice echoed with the voices of past Avatars._

"_MY NAME IS NOT MEIYA! ONLY KUMORI REMAINS! MEIYA IS DEAD!" the enraged Dark Avatar screamed, raising the spike. Tendrils of shadow rose out of the ground and bound Rolan._

"_And so are you…" Kumori said coldly, driving the spike downward toward her husband's chest._

-end flashback-

Kumori laid her forehead on the wall, staring down at the floor with sad eyes.

"If I could take that back…"

Suddenly, Kumori gasped, clutching her chest with one hand and her left temple with the other.

'_I will break you, Kumori! I'll break you in your only moment of weakness in over twenty-years!'_ yelled Meiya from Kumori's mind. _'Now, give me back my body!'_

"Never!" Kumori grunted, falling to her knees. "You were always a weakling, Meiya, and it's too late for any of your strength now!"

Kumori's tattoos glowed red, but began to flash from red to white.

"You will not win!"

'_I don't have to win! All I have to do is leave! You're nothing without me! You're literally just a shadow!'_

"YOU'RE the shadow now, you worthless infidel! I am as human as you once were! I can think for myself! I have feelings! I can LOVE!"

'_Don't make me laugh! You don't love anything! You don't even love your own daughter!'_

"That's a lie! I love Reigo, and I loved Rolan! You can't psyche me out! You can't win!" Kumori said. Her tattoos went solid white for a few seconds, then went back to blood red.

"Now LEAVE ME ALONE!" Kumori screamed, releasing a torrent of dark energy into the room.

She gasped, then began to pant. Never had she been more tormented in her life.

"You may be the original, Meiya, but I am much stronger. You took me by surprise, I'll give you that, but never again. You failed, like you did all those years ago, and you're never getting another chance again." Kumori seethed, taking one last look at Rolan's picture before leaving her chamber.

In one doorway, Reigo had been watching with curiosity…

**(A/N: Woohoo! There's your surprise chapter, everyone! Not sure if there'll be another one, but don't expect it. Seriously, this was probably a one-time thing. Do NOT expect another chapter before next week.**

**Whew! I'm tired… Goodnight, everybody! Next chapter's going to be up "soon", so until then, this is SH10, signing out!)**


	48. The Perfect Soldier

**(A/N:** **Vacation over! Back to business! **

**Anyway, the last chapter, after re-reading it, was a lot slower than I had thought it was going to be. I'm not disappointed in it, but I felt I could do better. Eh…**

**This chapter will pick up, for sure. We're finally going to see what this Icecrown is all about. For those of you with long range, yes, the Icecrown IS a World of Warcraft reference.**

**Also, to those who may have found Kumori's series of flashbacks confusing, don't worry. After re-reading it and thinking about the timeline of current events, I'm a little confused, myself. The only explanation I can muster up is that this is the result of activating the TSD. Events in Meiya's time are rearranging themselves, since Meiya changed history. Events such as Kaizu being born earlier than Reigo and Kumori knowing Rolan before her corruption, many days before Meiya actually met Rolan at the springs.**

**And since these rearranging changes are directly associated with Kaizu, they affect his memory of those events, so Kaizu now 'remembers' that he was born six months later instead of about a year after Reigo, who's date of birth (or conceiving) is still undetermined, so that's kind of a grey area. Confusing, I know…**

**In actuality, this is probably just a big screw-up on my part, but trying to change it would make for an even more confusing job, so I just made up a plausible excuse for it. It looks legit to me. ^-^'**

**Now, without further ado, the next chapter!)**

The damp Sky Bison lightly touched down on an icy shore that was loomed over by the nearby gargantuan mountain, the Icecrown.

From far away, the Icecrown was a menacing sight, but from close up, it was even more intimidating. The giant cone tower breached the heavens, disappearing in a swirling throng of clouds high up in the blue canopy of the sky. Cracks around the base of the Icecrown released puffy clouds of thick, cold air and howled as wind passed through them, almost as if it was trying to dissuade anyone who approached from attempting to conquer this mountain.

Meiya was the first to disembark the airship and stare up at the monstrous tower of ice with a brave, determined face, which lasted for all of five seconds.

"H-Holy CRAP, it's c-c-cold!" Meiya chattered, shivering in place.

Kohi came next, shivering in the chilly winds almost immediately. She hugged Meiya close to her to keep warm. Meiya pushed Kohi away at first, then, after a moment of thought, pulled Kohi back to her, taking in the slight warmth that her body gave.

Kaizu exited next, breathing out a thick cloud of cold air. With a sniff, Kaizu exhaled again, breathing a funnel of hot air onto the ice they stood on, making a big cloud of steam, greatly appreciated by the two shivering Airbenders.

"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaah…" they sighed, ceasing their shivering. "Thanks, Kaizu."

"Anytime." he responded with a shrug.

Ischi and Zuko were the last to exit the Bison, carrying the coats that they had all used when they had visited Khole's home so Meiya could learn Waterbending.

"It's a good thing we held onto these, isn't it?" Ischi said, passing around the coats. Kaizu was left without one.

"It's fine. I can keep warm on my own." Kaizu said, lighting a few small purple flames, and levitating them around his body.

Kisi opened the storage latch and poked his head out for a second, before hissing at the frigid air and going back down into the warmer storage.

"Fine, you big baby. Watch the Bison." Meiya sneered, poking her tongue out at her tiny companion.

The team turned and began to walk toward the titanic mountain. They stopped and frowned when they saw that there was a door on the mountain's base.

"A… door? What kind of mountain needs a door?"

"One that's not really a mountain." said a voice behind the group. They all turned around to see Ziro staring up at the mountain, as bundled up as the rest of them. Her long brown hair was done up in a bun and her jacketed arms were crossed,

"What are you talking about?" Meiya demanded.

"Ever heard of Orcas?" she said simply.

"Wh-What? Who?" Meiya stammered, confused.

"Orcas Titania. The Queen of the Elemental Plane of Water and the mother of all Water Elementals." Kaizu said. "What about her?"

"This 'mountain' is actually part of her castle."

A unified gasp traveled through TeaMeiya.

"This thing is a castle?" Kohi asked, her eyes widened in shock.

"PART of a castle. The whole thing is actually about as big as the entire North Pole territory. But I digress. This is the Scholar's Wing. The entire knowledge of the Elemental Plane of Water is stored inside this thing. Including why this thing is here in the first place. If you want to know what this thing is doing here, you'll go left when you enter. If you want a map of the complex, you'll go right. Meet you at the top." Ziro said with a smile.

"W-Wait! You expect us to climb this thing?" Ischi gasped.

"Yup. And be careful; there are more than just books in that place." Ziro said, winking before clenching her gloved fist and disappearing.

Meiya thought for a moment, then snapped her fingers. "I got it! We won't even have to go inside the mountain to get to the top!" she said, running back to the Bison.

"Come on, guys! We'll just fly up to the top!" Meiya said, jumping into the head of her flying machine. When everyone else was settled in the saddle, Meiya took off and soar up into the air.

"Ha! Ziro thinks she's so smart! We'll be up there in no time!" Meiya said with determination. As she and the Bison rose higher and higher in the sky, catching a breath became increasingly difficult…

"The peak doesn't look like it's getting any closer, Meiya…" Ischi said, breathing heavily.

"Not a problem. No matter how high the peak is, we'll get there much faster by flying than we will by actually going inside and climbing it." Meiya gasped.

After several more seconds of flying, the Sky Bison began to slow down.

"Huh? What's *cough* going on?" Meiya said, furling her eyebrows and pulling the clutch as hard as she could. When the Bison came to a full stop in the air, the team saw words etched into the mountain that read:

_Nice try, Meiya, but there's too little air for flying beyond this point. _

_Love, Ziro  
XOXO_

"Grr! Smug little wise-aaaaaaah!" Meiya growled, starting to scream when she felt the Bison beginning to fall. It dropped through the air like a stone and it took all of the passengers' strength to keep from flying out of it and tumbling to their death.

Meiya held fast to the controls and jiggled the loosened clutch as hard as she could. Moments, later, the pressure returned and the Bison slowed its descent. Its passengers fell with a thud back into the saddle, sighing with relief.

Meiya cruised back down to the entrance to the Icecrown, parking t right at the door.

"Fine, I guess we're going to have to climb this thing…" she sighed in defeat.

"But that could take us days, weeks! A month at most! And we have no food of drinks because you refused to stop for them!" Ischi protested. "What if the Shadow Sovereignty attacks while we're wasting our time entertaining a crazy kid who might be leading us on a wild goose chase?"

"It just occurred to me… What if this is all just a big setup to prevent us from stopping the Shadow Sovereignty?" Zuko considered.

"In case you two hopeless romantics forgot, this is our only shot at getting to the future to STOP that from happening!" Meiya argued. "Plus, I have a gut feeling that if Kumori DID come before we're able to reach the future, she'd decimate us."

"What makes you say that?" Kohi asked.

"On D-Day, Kumori was focused solely on capturing Republic City. Next time she comes, she's planning on taking over our whole world. Even as the Avatar, I can't defend an entire world at once. I just can't." Meiya said, frowning. "Like I said, this is our only shot at stopping this, and I say we take it!"

"Seconded." Kaizu said with a nod.

"Thirded!" Kohi chimed.

Ischi and Zuko frowned, then looked at each other.

"Alright. Since this is our one chance at making this easier on us, I suppose we'll have to take it." Ischi said with a shrug. Zuko nodded in agreement.

"Good. Now, since we're all in agreement, let's do this." Meiya said, breathing in, then using Waterbending to push the doors of the Icecrown open. A giant cloud of cold air rolled out of the doors and surrounded the team.

"Never mind! I vote we wait this out and hope for the best!" Meiya said, running out of the cloud coated in frost and shivering wildly. Kohi caught her by the collar before she could get far.

"Come on, Meiya, we're all in this together!" Kohi said, breathing in deeply and blowing the giant cloud away. "Now let's go get those blueprints!"

Grumbling and swearing under her breath, Meiya followed her cohorts into the freezing palace.

000

In the future, Kumori and two of her generals stood in the courtyard of the ruined Republic City Hall.

"Thank you for joining me today, gentlemen." Kumori started. Her two companions nodded in acknowledgement. "Today, I wish to demonstrate to you the potency of my other children."

Kumori put notable emphasis on the word 'other'

"Hrm… Other, milady?" one general asked.

"Yes, my children, born from my inner darkness and hate. Mothered by the shadows that surround them. I speak of the Nithlings. Look out in the center of the courtyard. What do you see?"

In the court stood a man, bound by thick tendrils of shadow. Though he looked strong enough to break them with a lot of effort, he remained still.

"A Resistance soldier, I believe." one general determined.

"Wrong." the other general corrected. "I recognize that face. It is Kei, one of the Resistance's most powerful generals."

"Second only to Ischi herself. Kei has slaughter a hundred of my Elites with relative ease. Early on in our campaign against the Resistance, I fought him personally and he almost ripped my arm off." Kumori said with a grimace, lifting her sleeve and revealing several gruesome scars.

"Fortunately, I was able to capture him and he's been held in my sanctum for several months. I believe you two can piece together why I've brought him out here today?"

"You wish to test the strength of your Nithlings against him?"

"No. I will not test. I will demonstrate. I will show you the unbridled strength of my dark powers. Open the gates."

Kumori pointed to a double door beside the pedestal where the three of them stood. They slowly opened.

"Come out, my child. Stand before your mother."

Slowly, a humanoid creature made entirely out of shadows lumbered out of the gate and walked up to the pedestal. It was no bigger than an average human being, and its eyes and mouth were completely white, and tiny drops of shadow fell off of it.

"Kneel. Show your mother respect." Kumori commanded.

The Nithling purred honorably and bowed before Kumori, who smiled lovingly.

"As you can see, my Nithlings obey me unconditionally and without question. If I asked one to kill himself or his brother, he would attempt to do so without hesitation and without success."

"Yes, they are extremely loyal. But their strength has yet to be demonstrated." one general commented.

Kumori chuckled. "I see that you are bursting with anticipation, Da Kai. Very well. My child, turn and face your prey."

The Nithling turned and stared blankly at Kei, who stared back, his expression equally blank.

Kumori's finger twitched, and the shadows encumbering Kei slinked back into the ground. Kei stood and stared straight at Kumori.

"You've made your final mistake by releasing me, Meiya. After I destroy your 'child', you will be next, and I will rebuild the world that you destroyed, with the help of those that you haven't yet." Kei said.

Kumori smirked and pointed at Kei. "My child, eviscerate the blabbermouth."

The Nithling roared loudly and charged at Kei, who held his ground and took an Earthbender stance, upheaving the ground underneath the Nithling. It flew into the air, flailing its arms. Kei raised a giant slab of earth into the air and positioned it above the Nithling. He then released it and caused it to slam into the Nithling and carry it into the ground, splattering its shadowy form all over the courtyard.

Wiping a stain of shadow off of his brow, Kei began to walk toward the pedestal, his cold glare fixed on Kumori. He Metalbent the armor the generals wore and lifted them into the air, throwing them behind him and sending them sprawling. he then Earthbent the pedestal and made it into an earth mound that served as a prison for Kumori, so that she couldn't move and only her head was visible.

Finally, Kei raise a column of earth from the courtyard and fashioned it into a giant spike, aimed straight at Kumori's forehead.

"Any last words?" Kei asked coldly.

"Yes, actually. Reform underneath him quickly and bind him."

As swift as an arrow, the splattered shadow globs came together underneath Kei, and the Nithling leaped from the shadows and wrapped its stretchy arms and legs around him tightly. The earth spike dropped to the ground as Kei struggled against the living shadow.

"Now free me from this prison." Kumori commanded.

A third arm extended from the Nithling's form and punched the mound, smashing it to pieces and freeing Kumori. She stretched her limbs and cracked her neck before shaking the excess gravel off of her and walking up to Kei.

"Maul him until I say to stop." Kumori said with a twisted grin.

The Nithling roared in Kei's face and began to bite and scratch his body and face as the Resistance general screamed in agony.

"Stop." Kumori said. The Nithling froze. Kei's body was already very bloody and scratched up. "Continue."

The mauling continued, until Kumori said, "Stop." She looked upon Kei's mutilated body, then with an evil smirk, she said, "Continue."

Kumori did that three more times before commanding the Nithling to stop again.

"Stand by for your final order." Kumori said. The Nithling purred again and got off of Kei, lumbering over to stand next to its 'mother'.

Kei laid before Kumori, his face mangled beyond recognition and his left arm ground down into a stump. He lay in a growing pool of his own essence, gasping for what little breaths his blood-filled lungs could take in.

"Oh, how the mighty have fallen." Kumori laughed, kneeling next to Kei, who stared at Kumori with his one good eye. "Oh, to think, Kei, that after so many years, you finally get what you deserve. Ischi may have forgiven you, but I never have. Nobody hurts my friends and gets away with it in one piece. If there is a hell, I hope your husk burns in the hottest pools of agony."

Kei gasped in as loudly as he could and spit a wad of blood into Kumori's eye, causing her to flinch back.

"I live with shame… *gasp* I die with regret… *cough, hack* But I die with the comfort… *wheeze* the comfort of knowing that… I was deservedly killed by someone even worse than I am…"

Kumori wiped the blood from her throbbing eye and scowled at Kei.

"My child, finish him." she growled, turning around and walking back into the city hall as the Nithling roared and leaped upon Kei's body, ripping him apart. The disoriented generals tried hard not to stare at the carnage as they followed their leader.

"So, generals, as you can see, the Nithlings are indestructible, resilient, and ruthless. Not only that, but I can also control them mentally and from an indefinite distance. They are the perfect soldiers."

"Milady, if these Nithlings are truly the perfect soldiers, what use do you have for the Shadowbenders and the Bender Elites?" Da Kai asked.

"Excellent question." Kumori said, turning and smiling at Da Kai, causing the general to gulp in fear. "But you have nothing to worry about. My Nithlings are not intelligent, and they cannot operate machinery. Though they cannot be destroyed, if lucky, my enemies could outsmart them, and I can't take ANY chances on that happening."

The generals looked at each other, then back at Kumori.

"Return to your posts." Kumori said.

"Milady, if you don't mind me asking, when will our final invasion of the past begin?"

"The minute that the retaliation force that Meiya and her friends will most definitely come with is completely annihilated. We will destroy them at their weakest. Now, return to you posts, I said." Kumori repeated, clearing her throat and continuing her walk down the hall to her inner sanctum.

**(A/N: And there you have it!**

**I'm in panic mode, guys, because in three weeks' time, school's back in session, and that means… slower updat-**

**-Terrified screams fill the air. Babies and mothers cry in unison. Men huddle up in corners and rock back and forth, shivering.-**

**-es… Yeah, I'm as upset as you guys are (not quite as much). But don't worry. I'll work hard to get you guys the story as quickly as possible.**

**Next chapter's going to be an interesting one, so look forward to it! Until then, this is SH10, signing out!)**


	49. Prelude to Spectacularity!

"We will destroy them at their weakest. Now, return to you posts, I said." Kumori repeated, clearing her throat and continuing her walk down the hall to her inner sanctum.

"Aaaaaaaaand… CUT! That's a wrap, guys!" yelled an enthusiastic voice. Kumori turned around and looked for the source of the voice. Out of one hallway, Meiya came first, using Airbending to fan herself. Ischi came second, fanning herself with a paper fan.

"Ugh… t's too hot for this, SH. When are we going to get a break?" Ischi sighed.

"More importantly, when are we going to get our money?" Meiya turned and yelled down the hallway. "You haven't paid us since Hamartia! Are you holding out on us?"

The next two people to come out of the hallway were kind of odd. One was a curly-haired young lady with a plain-looking shirt and rough blue pants that looked tight on her. She was holding a square shaped device attached to a cord which split into two small nub-like things in both ears. Following her was a giant, floating brain. SH didn't seem very attentive to what Meiya was saying.

"SH?" Meiya called, waving her hand in front of Shadowheart's face. Irritated, she took one nub out of SH's ear and screamed, "SH!"

"Yah! What, what?" the startled oddball chattered, jumping in surprise and rubbing her throbbing ear.

"Stop forgetting which reality you're in." Meiya said, a vein poking out on her forehead.

Men in grey clothes began running around and taking everything away from the set, revealing a bare studio underneath it.

"Excuse the grey matter; they're setting up for what we're doing next. Anyway, what were we saying?"

"WHERE'S MY MONEY?" Meiya yelled.

"Um… And mine." Ischi said.

"I'd like my payment as well." Kumori said, walking over to the group.

Out of another hallway, Zuko and Kaizu came out, Kohi following not far behind.

"Is it payday already?" Zuko asked.

"Alright, stop!" SH yelled, smother by the growing group of money-hungry monsters. "You'll all get paid on chapter 50! Right now, Mind and I have an announcement to make! And that goes for you guys, too." SH finished, looking at the readers.

"Next chapter is our A:RotS 50th Chapter Spectacular, as you all know. Mind, if you would?"

The giant brain hummed for a second before levitating a giant banner that came from nowhere. It was an old-looking banner. The word 'iCarly's' was scribbled out and replaced with 'A:RotS', and 'Webshow' was similarly scribbled out and replaced with 'Chapter'. SH smiled weakly at her cast.

Meiya sighed. "Seriously, Shadow? Do you ever do ANYTHING original, or are you just cheap?"

"Please, save all rude questions until chapter 50… Oh! That reminds me! The A:RotS 50th Chapter Spectacular-"

"Is really just a MidSeason Q&A with decorations…" Reigo said, rising from the shadows. "I've seen the set already. Where's my pay?"

"Yes, it IS a MidSeason Q&A, but there are MORE than just decorations. In this SPECIAL MidSeason Q&A, in addition to you guys asking your best questions for the cast, the cast will get to ask me some of THEIR best questions!"

"Like, 'Why are you such a fraud?'" Meiya asked.

"Anyway…" SH10 continued, cutting her eyes at Meiya. "The most special thing for the A:RotS 50th Chapter Spectacular will be up to YOU guys to decide!"

"Because SH is too cheap to write her own $#!%, so she relies on you guys to do it." Ziro chimed, flashing into the room in a blue light. "I don't need my payment right now, I just like to mess with you." she laughed before flashing back out again.

"Alright, are we DONE playing 'Bash the Author'?" SH yelled, turning back to her cast.

"Not yet. We all think it's stupid how you write under that lame alias all the time when all it's fooling is your fans who don't know who you are. Aren't you too old to be playing pretend?" Meiya interrogated.

"I'm a writer, Meiya. Writers are NEVER too old to play pretend. And the alias is for my safety. Who knows what kind of crazed fans I'd have at my doorstep if people knew my true identity."

"Oh, goodness… Stop acting like you're some sort of famous superhero!" Kumori yelled. "You're just a weirdo with one of the more popular Avatar stories on FF. It's FANFICTION, for crying out loud."

"That doesn't sound like the tone of a Shadow Sovereign who wants to get paid anytime soon." SH said, crossing her arms and tapping her foot.

"What? Alright, alright, I'm sorry…"

"That's better! Anyway, readers, if you want this A:RotS 50th Chapter Spectacular to be the most spectacular Spectacular ever, review with your best, funniest questions and your suggestions for how to make the Spectacular as spectacular as it can be! Until the 50th chapter, this is SH10-"

"The weirdo fraud." Meiya chimed with a smile.

"Signing out… Hopefully, my cast will be less rude on chapter 50."

"We're rude because we haven't been paid yet!" Meiya yelled before SH reached up and turned off the camera.


	50. A:RotS 50th Chapter Spectacular Pt 1

*drumroll*

-Party-poppers go off all over the set as big curtains rise. Under the curtain in the decorated set of MidSeason Q&A, with all of the main cast, SH10, and the giant floating brain from last chapter sitting in big, illustrious chairs, except for Mind, who is floating above the set.-

SH10: Welcome, readers, studio audience, and cast, to our very special edition of MidSeason Q&A! Why is it so special? Because this chapter is our A:RotS 50th Chapter Spectacular!

-applause and cheers ensue-

Today we have a whole bunch of questions, most of them sent through PM by TeamAvatar. We also have some surprises in store for you. So, stay in your seat, because we're getting ready to start!

-more applause and cheers, with a few whistles-

SH10: Alright, firstly on the agenda, we have my cast's questions to me! This is going to be a nice, friendly, non-hostile conversation between cast and director, right guys?

Meiya, Kumori, Reigo, and Ziro: …

Ischi: Um…

Zuko and Kaizu: *shrug*

Kohi: -smiles weakly, sweatdropping.-

SH10: Yeah, this should be fun… Alright, I guess we'll start with Meiya. What's your first question for me, Meiya?

Meiya: Why are you such a fraud?

SH10: I am NOT a fraud!

Meiya: Are too.

SH10: Are not! How am I a fraud?

Meiya: This story reeks of unoriginality.

SH10: Oh, really? Name ONE thing that's unoriginal about this story.

Kaizu: The characters…

Audience: Oooooooooooooooooh…

SH10: If that wasn't a cheap shot, Kaizu, that'd be really funny. And it's wrong! All of you are very original!

Kaizu: Oh, really? I'm based after Itachi Uchiha from Naruto.

Zuko: Just look at my name. Do you even need to ask?

Kohi: My name comes from the name of a character from one of your other stories.

Kumori: I'm a carbon copy…

Reigo: I'm the daughter of a carbon copy…

Ischi: I'm modeled after AND named after a character from one of your Naruto stories. I'm probably the most unoriginal character here.

Meiya: I'm… uh… Hrm… I, uh… Um…

SH10: YOU, Meiya, are completely original. And so is Ziro.

Ziro: Guilty as charged. I'm one of a kind.

SH10: Sure, some of your traits may be 'recycled', but I took those recycled traits and made them better. I made them YOU.

Ischi: I suppose that makes me feel a bit better…

Meiya: You're not off the hook yet. You've done more than just 'recycle' us. You've ripped scenes straight from other places.

SH10: Are you talking about Katara's Memoirs and that battle at the end, which I acknowledged was unintentional and just rolled with it because it was the best-looking course of action I could take?

Meiya: Well, that… and, uh… Oh! What about, no… But, what… Heck, you win, I got nothing.

SH10: I knew that'd be your answer. Who wants to ask a question next?

Ischi: I would… I know you love us a lot, but you also seem to hate us sometimes, too. Why is that?

SH10: Hate you? How so?

Ischi: Well, there was that scene on the S.S Chaos with Meiya's… wardrobe malfunction.

SH10: *snicker*

Meiya: *grumble*

Ischi: And you had me and Zuko fight, twice, which I hated. And there was Khole's broken leg, which really dragged us down… Also-

Kumori: Ischi, it's called a 'plot'. Plots need action, drama, and comedy at the characters' expense. Real writers aren't afraid to spice their stories up with that. SH had me kill Zuko AND Kei. That-

Random audience member: WOOT!

Kumori: … That's one of the advanced plot dramas: character death, and it's way more dramatic than anything YOU powderpuffs have been through.

Meiya: I killed a guy, too. Way early in the story.

Kaizu: So have I. *cough*

Kohi: I killed a planty squid! And I LIKED it!

Zuko: I wanted to kill Kei, and if Meiya hadn't stopped me, I would've.

Reigo: I've killed plenty of people. Most of them off-screen. I even killed an entire town in the PROLOGUE. And an entire Air Temple before the first Book ended. I outrank all of you.

Kumori:

Ziro: I killed a scientist and almost killed my dad. Hardcore stuff.

Ischi: I… uh… Hrm… I helped to kill a planty squid..?

Kohi: *sticks tongue out* I did most of the work!

Ischi: Okay, um… Hrm… I guess I've never had dramatic experiences like you guys have had. SH, I need something to kill!

SH10: You'll get your chance soon, Ischi. Hrm, that question went in a whole different direction, didn't it?

Kumori: I have a question. When are these sad little clowns going to give up and just let me take over their world?

Meiya: You only say that because you know we're going to pwn you when we reach the future.

Kumori: Yeah, mmkay. Looks like I'll have five more kills to add to my list pretty soon. Six, if Khole stupidly decides to rejoin you. Where is she, anyway?

SH10: We'll find out soon. For now, back to questioning ME.

Ziro: How come I had silver hair when Reigo was chasing me in chapter 29, but I have brown hair when we meet up again in chapter 42?

SH10: … You dyed it?

-Ziro rubs a lock of her hair between her fingers. Brown dye comes out, revealing silver hair underneath it.-

Ziro: Y-You're right… How come I don't remember dying my hair?

SH10: One question per cast member. NEXT!

Reigo: What are we going to come to expect in future chapters?

SH10: Finally, best question of the night. Well, readers, in the immediate future, you can expect a lot more exposition into the Elemental Planes and some very interesting combat scenes, culminating into a shocking and epic twist in the end!

Reigo: I meant us. The Shadow Sovereignty. What are WE going to expect in the future?

SH10: Sorry, one question per cast member. Next?

Kohi: What's the Shadow Sovereignty going to expect in the future?

SH10: Sigh… Well, nothing much right at the moment, but in the far future, expect a war of epic proportion! And expect MAIN character death.

Kumori: YES! You here that? One or more of chumps are going to get OWNED, for sure!

Meiya: Pfft! I'm sure SH is just messing with us. Right?

SH10: Nope. Someone's getting dropped. Permanently.

TeaMeiya: *shiver*

Reigo: My money's on Kohi.

Kohi: W-What? Why me?

Kumori: Too many people love Zuschi for SH10 to kill one of THEM off. Meiya's the central character, and Kaizu is the good-aligned MB of A:RotS. Killing him off would be a 'tragedy'. *rolls eyes*

Kaizu: … What's MB?

Meiya: It means Magnificent Bastard. I read it on TvTropes. Basically, you're the cool, suave, MVP of our group, an killing you off would be too major a blow for us to survive it.

Kumori: Even I wouldn't wish the death of an MB on ANY faction. Does that make Kaizu overpowered?

Ziro: Judging by how easily I beat the stuffing out of him, I'm going to say 'no'.

Meiya: What about Ziro? Is she overpowered?

Ziro: *fake accent* Most deeeeefinitely, dahling!

SH10: Zuko, you're the only one who hasn't asked a question yet. You wanna contribute?

Zuko: I hear there's going to be a LONG interim between A:RotS and its sequel. Is that true?

SH10: I was afraid of that question… Unfortunately, it WILL be a little bit before I can start the sequel after this story ends. I have my Naruto story to finish, that I put on hiatus, and there's also the Metroid/Dead Space crossover, still in production, and with a new title: Metroid: The Marker's Nightmare. We also have a new trailer for the story, which is going to be premiere later tonight. Best-case scenario, I somehow am able to juggle both M:TMN and the A:RotS sequel at the same time and slowly kill two birds with one pebble.

Kumori: Blegh… Seriously? Shadow Sovereign is not amused.

Meiya: Well, we've all asked a question. What next?

SH10: Next, we have our FIRST surprise of the night, suggested by TeamAvatar. Please, ladies and gentlemen, welcome KHOLE back to the set!

-Massive applause rocks the audience as Khole walks into the room through one of the studio doors. She waves to the audience as she walks up and takes the empty seat that materializes next to SH10.-

Khole: Hi, everyone!

SH10: Hey, Khole. It's good to have you back! Everyone's been missi-

Kohi: KHOLE!

-Kohi leaps out of her seat and glomps Khole, refusing to let go.

Khole: Hehe, long time no see, Kohi!

Kohi: Where have you been?

Khole: Mastering my Land Beast-Taming skills. I'm well on my way to being the best at it. Now, could you let-

Kohi: NO! I miss you too much! I'm never letting go!

-Mind hums amusedly in the air before levitating Kohi into the air and putting her arms to her sides, returning her to her seat.

Kohi: Aww…

SH10: Now that you're here, Khole, do you have a question for me?

Khole: Hm… When am I coming back to the group?

SH10: Why do you assume that you're coming back?

Khole (surprised): You mean I'm NOT?

SH10: Just kidding, you are! I can't tell you when, though readers can probably guess. ;) Alright, now to deal with your questions to the cast. TeamAvatar submitted a bunch of questions via PM, but there was one other reviewer, one EliteJedi, who also asked a bunch of good questions. We'll start with EliteJedi. His (or her, sorry if I guessed your gender wrong ^^;) first question is to… me! He asks how I come up with my stuff, commenting that it's genius.

Meiya: PFFT!

SH10: Hush, Meiya. Anyway, to answer your question, I get plenty of opportunities in my uneventful existence to just pace around and brainstorm story ideas, especially at night, when my brain seems to be most active. Whenever I start typing, I always have a basic idea of what I want to get done in that chapter, but things such as dialogue, character actions, and plot? I, more often than not, make that up as I go along.

The big battle between TeaMeiya and the Shadow Sovereignty, though, will NOT be ad-libbed. Since the beginning of Book 2, I've been brainstorming ideas, scrapping ideas and making them better, then scrapping them again to make them even BETTER! The biggest battle in the book WILL be perfect, I tell you!

Meiya: -rolls her eyes-

SH10: Mmkay, next question, to Meiya. EliteJedi asks why you were so bitter early on in the story? Apparently, that question has sat with him for some time.

Meiya: I don't know if 'were' is a good word. I still am bitter, but it's mostly just natural. I think loneliness had a lot to do with why I was so aloof during my time at the Air Temple. I had no friends, you see, and living in isolation, being shunned for who you are, it's not something you can be very cheery about.

But now that I have friends like Ischi, Zuko, Khole, Kohi, and Kaizu, I'm not lonely anymore. I'm still bitter, but I'm not lonely, and that makes a big difference.

Audience: -applause and cheering-

Meiya: Really? THAT'S what you clap for? Ugh, sappiest audience ever.

SH10: How true, how true. Aight, next question's for you, Kaizu. EliteJedi asked that, once this was all over, would you go back to Miye and raise Ziro with her?

Kaizu: Of course I-

Ziro: Not possible.

SH10: ?

Kaizu: ?

Audience: ?

SH10: Ziro, what do you mean?

Ziro: Should TeaMeiya succeed in killing Kumori and deactivating the TSD, Kaizu will disappear, as his reality no longer exists. I, however, will still be born, fatherless. Not a thing will have changed for me.

Kaizu: W-What? That's not… There's got to be-

Ziro: Nope. You sealed my destiny. No matter how this plays out, my life will be no different.

Reigo: But wouldn't you disappear, too?

Ziro: No. I was not born in your timeline, Reigo. I simply intruded in it, for my own personal gains. Besides, I was conceived before the TSD went into effect. That damned machine holds no sway over me.

SH10: W-Whoa… I'm the friggin' AUTHOR, and even I didn't see that one coming…

Kaizu: … I have to go.

-Kaizu stands up and walks toward the studio doors, against the pleas from the audience and the cast to stay. The only one who stayed silent was Ziro. When the studio doors closed again, all went silent.

Ziro: I believe the next question's for me?

-Ischi glares hard at Ziro, who shrugs with indifference.-

SH10: Y-Yeah… EliteJedi knows some things about quantum physics, and he wants to know how your gauntlet doesn't tear a hole in the fabric of space and time.

Ziro: … I'm not sure what he's asking. That's exactly HOW my gauntlet works. I rip a hole in the fabric of time, step through, and stitch it up again.

Kumori: Too many stitches will ruin the fabric you're working with. I think 'Are you afraid of temporal backlash?' is the question being asked here.

Ziro: Oh. Why didn't he say that? The simple answer is no. Why? Because there's more than one fabric of space and time. There's a fabric for every timeline caused by every possible and plausible decision that can be made. There's one timeline for when you step out of your house two weeks and three days later with your right foot, and there's a timeline for when you step out with your left foot. One leads to you becoming President, the other leads to you causing the apocalypse.

Scary, isn't it? That's because the smallest of decisions can change, create, and destroy lives. But I digress. The point is, I'm really only dealing with about a handful of fabrics at a time, out of a nearly infinite amount of fabrics, so temporal backlash has got nothing on me.

SH10: O_o Did any of you understand any of that?

Kohi: I think you accidentally my brain, Ziro…

Ischi: I think you may have accidentally all of our brains…

SH10: Accidentally what?

Zuko: Our brains, they said.

SH10: No, what accidentally- Oh, never mind… Next, this is not exactly a question, but Avatard said that he would be willing to donate money in order to keep you guys from quitting.

Meiya: Was that what he got from the preclude? No, no, no. We won't quit because SH10 doesn't pay us. We'll just hound her until she does. Thing is, we CAN'T quit. Where are we going to go if we do?

Kohi: I'm sure someone would be willing to steal us, if given the opportunity.

Meiya: There's no way fans of this story would let someone steal us! They'd rip the guy or gal apart! That's how much they love us and that's how much they love this story.

Audience: -loud applause and cheers-

Meiya: You see? THAT'S what you're supposed to cheer for: bloodshed!

SH10: Meiya, I don't think… Ugh, forget it. We have one more batch of questions from aguywithnorealaccount-

Ziro: I never understood why he doesn't just make an account…

Reigo: Then he'd lose his identity.

SH10: True enough. Well, we have his batch of questions, then we'll have to wrap it up and resume the rest of the 50th chapter spectacular next chapter.

Kumori: In the 51st chapter?

SH10: Stop it! You're killing the vision! First question to Zuko. Now that you've met your future son, are you disappointed or proud? He wants you to be honest.

-Kaizu slowly opens the studio door, poking his head inside. Zuko notices him.-

Zuko: Honestly? Kaizu is the son I've always wanted. He's as smart as his father, as caring as his mother, and as powerful as the both of us.

Some may ask if I was angry that he used to be my enemy, but I feel that this sort of parallel's my great-grandfather's relationship with his uncle, late in the Century War. As my great-great-uncle Iroh felt with Zuko I, I was saddened that Kaizu had lost his way, but I couldn't be prouder, because he found it, and that's all a father could ever ask of a son.

Audience: -very loud applause, cheers, and confetti.-

-Kaizu smiles at Zuko before bringing his head back and closing the studio doors again.-

SH10: Wow, man… That was… *sniff* That was beautiful…

Ischi: Yes, it was. -Ischi pulls Zuko down to her and gives him a big ol' kiss-

SH10: Alright, settle down there, tykes, we gots more questions!

Khole: MOAR!

SH10: Yes, Khole, MOAR! Next question is for… me! How the hell is TeaMeiya going to take down the Nithlings?

Kumori: I'll be happy to answer that. They CAN'T! My Nithlings are indestructible! They're strong enough to take down a man almost as powerful as Future Ischi! Don't you boobs get it? YOU CANNOT $%#ING WIN! STOP TRYING!

SH10: I think you need a nap, Kumori…

Kumori: I do… Are there any more questions for me?

SH10: There are from TeamAvatar, but those won't be answered until next time.

Kumori: Alright I'm leaving…

-Kumori stands and yawns as she walks out of the studio-

SH10: Okay, next, and last question of the night is for Ziro. Why can't you just go back in time and stop Kumori from being born?

Ziro: That would mean killing Meiya.

Meiya: Aw, I didn't know you cared.

Ziro: I don't. Killing you means that you and Kohi don't save Ischi from getting killed in Fire Fountain City, which means that Ischi and Zuko don't have Kaizu, which means that Kaizu and Miye don't have me. Meiya and her team have to handle this without my temporal interference, or I risk causing irreparable trouble for myself.

Meiya: … I thought you cared…

Ziro: Nope. Why would I?

Meiya: ... Alright, we're done here. Wrap it up, SH.

SH10: My four favorite words! I have a new sign-out sig. On behalf of TeaMeiya and the Shadow Sovereignty, this is SH10, wishing you happy reading! Goodnight, everyone. Be prepared for TeamAvatar's awesome questions next episode, and a few more surprises! See ya later! :D

WAIT! Here's a little challenge for you! Throughout this chapter, three very popular internet memes were mentioned. Whoever is the first to find them all and give them to me in a review will receive honorable mention next chapter! Kk, bye!


	51. A:RotS 50th Chapter Spectacular Pt 2

_**Orcas: Water…**_

_Proud sculptors of the Northern Water Tribe work tirelessly in their mission of carving out a statue of Khole. The likeness of the statue looks on proudly, though she herself feels that she doesn't deserve it. Dark clouds that loomed overhead did not deter the work of the grateful carvers…_

_**Duunya: Earth…**_

_Ischi smiled as her husband waved goodbye to her before leaving her chambers in the Earth Palace. Dai Li agents loyal to Ischi surrounded her protectively, because her womb was swelled with their first son: Kaizu…_

_**Ragnarok: Fire…**_

_Twi and Su Li took turns firing small, harmless firecrackers into unsuspecting crowds from the safety of the new palace wall, laughing gleefully at the expression of their victims…_

_**Sykclon: Air…**_

_Since the migration of other Nomads from the other Air Temples, the Western Air Temple had become populated again. In the peacefulness of the Silent Stone, Meiya sat in meditation, her legs crossed and her breathing extremely faint, just how she liked. She was truly at peace here…_

_**Orcas: For millennia, my people and I have been tortured and harassed by Ragnarok and his burning legion of hellish, mindless soldiers…**_

_Off the coast of New Zuko, water was beginning to churn strangely. The strange churning seemed to move steadily toward the Fire Nation's capital city._

_**Duunya: The earth above my kingdom CRIES with my anguish… The earth below the kingdom of Air HEAVES with the strength of my ire…**_

_Meiya thought she felt a small rumbling sound rattle the Silent Stone for a moment. She opened one eye, looked around for a moment, shrugged, then closed it again._

_**Ragnarok: For far too long, Water, and its slut of a ruler, have openly defied me, drowning my territory as a show of 'strength'.**_

_Khole flinched as something hot hit the back of her neck. She turned around, looking down to see a small red rock. Sh tried to pick it up, but flinched back when she felt it. It was still burning hot. She looked up at the sky, wondering if that was where the flaming stone came from._

_**Sykclon: We did NOTHING to provoke them… But now that they are provoked, we WILL defend ourselves…**_

_As Ischi rubbed her swelled stomach lovingly, a rough breeze brushed her face. When the breeze subsided, Ischi looked out of the window and saw that it looked extremely stormy._

_**Orcas: No more… Now, the Plane of Fire shall be smothered by my torrential wrath.**_

_Twi continued to laugh as she tossed firecrackers down to the street, but Su Li had looked up and stopped laughing. Her eyes went wide and she was speechless, for a gigantic wave had risen and was threatening to smash New Zuko into pieces._

_**Duunya: At long last, the sky shall fall! The foundations of their kingdoms will shatter! The whole of the Plane of Air will break!**_

_Meiya's eyes snapped open. She, along with the Silent Stone and the entire Western Air Temple shook violently. Suddenly, giant cracks began to rip through the temple, utterly destroying the mountainous foundation underneath it. As a result, the Air Temple ripped itself in half, and one half began to plummet into the cloudy abyss, while the other ground itself down the face of the mountain roughly, its buildings and streets disintegrating on the way down._

_**Ragnarok: With my true power, even water will burn beneath my glower and melt beneath the shadow of my blade.**_

_Khole gasped as a giant storm of flaming rocks, much larger than the one that struck her, began to pour out of the sky and decimate the icy city. The first rock to fall hit Khole's unfinished state and completely annihilated it._

_**Syklon: Earth stands against air. Those who stand against Air stand against me. And those who stand against me do not stand long.**_

_A powerful wind whips through the room that Ischi sat in. She and her guards looked around, confused. Suddenly, the powerful winds ripped part of the wall out of the palace. Ischi gasped upon seeing the giant dusty tornado ripping buildings out of the ground and throwing them randomly around without care._

_Ischi stood, and her guards tried to lead her to the door, but suddenly, the powerful winds tore the roof clear off of the palace. It only took a few moments for the winds to pick Ischi up and pull her, screaming, toward the powerful cyclone._

_**?: And now… After hundreds of thousands of years of imprisonment… My vengeance will finally see completion, and the Avatar Spirit will finally be vanquished… along with those miserable worlds…**_

_**AVATAR: VENGEANCE OF THE OLD ONE! COMING SOON TO A WEBSITE NEAR YOU…**_

_**?: If you thought Kumori was bad… You haven't seen anything yet…**_

Audience: -loud applause-

SH10: Thank you! Thank you! That was the trailer for my sequel to A:RotS. A:VotOO won't be coming quite as soon as all of you might have hoped, but fear not, for it WILL be here eventually! So tell your friends who like Avatar to check out my story and keep a lookout for it.

Now, for the reason of the slow arrival of the second half of the Spectacular: computer crash. Wiped my files. Bad stuff… Yeah…

TeaMeiya: Yeah…

SH10: But that's not a problem because, as you can see, I picked myself up and fought to redo the ENTIRE second half, because I know how important this was to TeamAvatar and the rest of my fans.

Now, since I promised TeamAvatar that I'd start with her questions, we'll start with her question to Meiya. Does it feel any different when you enter what TeamAvatar has coined 'KuMeiya Mode'?

Meiya: Sort of… It kinda feels like my mind is in someone else's body. Really strange feeling.

SH10: Nice. Next, for Kohi. We've all seen what you're like when you're serious, but TeamAvatar would like to know what you get like when you're angry.

Kohi: What's angry?

SH10: O_O

Meiya: You're not serious… are you?

Kohi: No, really, what's angry? Does it smell funny?

Ischi: Uh… Angry is when… Uhm… Well, you yell really loud, and… Um…

Kaizu: I've got nothing.

Kohi: -shrugs- I have no idea what you guys are talking about.

SH10: Um, okay… Next question, for Ischi. TeamAvatar wants to know how you learned to Metalbend.

Ischi: Pretty much the same way my great-granny Toph learned how to. I use Seismic Sense. It was tough, but once I got the hang of it, I was Metalbending like a pro. My great-granny would be proud!

SH10: I bet! Alright, next question is for Kaizu. TA points out that you seem to know about the colors of Firebender flames and the difference between them. Could you explain?

Kaizu: Of course. The power of the flames a Firebender can command is directly associated with the color spectrum. Regular red flames that Firebenders use are actually the weakest variety. Extreme training or bloodline advancement can increase the powers of flames and change their colors.

For example: Azula commanded blue flames in her youth. These flames were much more powerful than regular flames. Zuko, in his adult years, became powerful enough to wield the second-strongest flames known to man: violet flames.

Later on, Azula becomes the first wielder of the strongest flames imaginable: black flames. There may, however, be one color of flame-

Kumori: Nope! Black flames are the strongest! Nothing beats black flames!

SH10: Kumori, TA has a question for you, too. She asks why you're so certain you'll beat TeaMeiya.

Kumori: I have half-a-million loyal children at my command! They're indestructible! They're ruthless! They'll rip apart anything in their path! The Nithlings are WIN!

Kaizu: It occurs to me now that technically, since Nithlings are born from the power of an 'element', that is, something bendable, the Nithlings are basically elementals and, as such, can be banished to The Plane, on a massive scale, if need be.

Kumori: …

Meiya: Ouch.

Kohi: Is she okay? She looks like she's going to cry.

Kumori: -babbles incessantly and nonsensically-

Reigo: Great, you broke my mother. I hope you're happy, Kaizu.

Kaizu: Not really, but I'm not upset, either.

-Reigo takes the broken Kumori by the hand and leads her to the door-

Reigo: We'll be back in a couple of minutes. Carry on.

SH10: 0_O Um, okay… That's all of TA's questions, except one, which will be answered at the end. Let's move on to the others you guys have asked, starting with Avatard. He didn't have any direct questions, but he did give some insight into who might die in the Battle for the Future. But before we get to that, Ziro has something to say.

Ziro: Yes. I share Avatard's view on Kumori's epic-failness. She tied her own noose by having Reigo travel back in time in the first place.

Kumori: One dern second!

-the studio doors burst open and Kumori comes back in, Reigo not far behind.-

Kumori: This whole cluster%$# that I've found myself in is NOT my fault! It's REIGO'S!

Reigo: WHAT? How am I responsible?

Kumori: If I remember correctly, YOU screwed up on your collection mission! You know, the one where you had to 'obtain' Ischi's distress letter from Zuko, in Chapter 3, I believe. If you had succeeded, TeaMeiya never would've formed, and my dominion would've been sealed. YOU'RE responsible!

Reigo: Well, if you're so keen on thoroughness, why didn't your lazy butt go yourself? That's what happens when you have others do your work for you: mistakes.

Meiya: So your mistake is Kumori's fault?

Reigo: No, it's YOUR fault.

Meiya: Why me?

Reigo: YOU'RE my mother, too. It's your sloppiness that rubbed off on my and your laziness that 'forced' you to send me into the future 20 years later.

Ziro: She's not wrong.

Meiya: Okay, so my own imperfections are going to be the downfall of my greatest enemy.

Reigo: Exactly!

Kumori: You should be ashamed of yourself! Straighten yourself up, for goodness sakes! How am I going to rule the world if my past self is incompetent? …Wipe that smirk off your face! This is serious business! It's because of YOU that I'm going to- Oh… Wait…

Meiya: -smirk grows-

Kumori: …I'm done. I'm going to go look through my medicine cabinet…

-Kumori slumps off sadly-

SH10: Wow, that was sad… Someone should go make sure she's okay.

Reigo: I'll go.

-Reigo glares at Meiya as she follows Kumori out of the studio doors.-

SH10: Okay… It seems like the Spectacular is starting to wind down. We had a good run, but it's time for our last set of questions from EliteJedi. His first question for Ischi: Why are you so unlike Toph?

Ischi: I'm not sure. My great-granny was a tough and gritty person who was hard to please, and I'm a really nice, easy-going gal. Not sure how I broke the mold.

Ziro: I am, but I'll just keep that little secret to myself.

SH10: …Next question, to Kumori.

Meiya: She's not here.

SH10: I can see that. The question was, if TeaMeiya somehow found a way to defeat the Nithlings, how would she cope?

Ziro: I can answer that one, actually. You all may think that the Nithlings are Kumori's ace-in-the-hole, but she has more dangerous tricks up her own sleeves. Hehehe…

Meiya: I have a question for you, Ziro. Are you good or evil? Or bipolar?

Ziro: All of the above. I like to mix it up sometimes, to keep you on your toes.

SH10: Next question's for Zuko. After all the crazy stuff simmers down, will you and Ischi get married?

Zuko: Of course. She's the love of my life. Marrying her would be the finish line to this epic race I seem to be running all over the world with her, Meiya, Kohi, Khole, and Kaizu.

Ischi: Aww…

SH10: How sweet! Alright, guys, last questions for Ziro.

Ziro: Goody.

SH10: Suppose your Hand of the Sovereign ripped a hole in time, but couldn't stitch it back up again?

Ziro: That fabric would fall apart completely within a couple of millennia, but by that time, humans would die out and be replaced by… Ugh, it's too weird to even think about.

SH10: What is it? Whisper it in my ear

Ziro: *whisper, whisper*

SH10: O.o You're kidding, right?

Ziro: I wish I was… There are a couple of fabrics where humans thrive throughout all of existence, but… don't cross your fingers about this one being one of them.

Meiya: I won't even ask…

Kaizu: Me either…

SH10: Last direct question. EJ asks if Kaizu would make a good dad?

Ziro: Sure, he WOULD, but what matters is that he WASN'T a good father to me. Had I turned out right, I wouldn't even be here. I'd be a happy little child who didn't mess with time and wasn't a vigilante 'neutral'. So, congrats, dad. Your crappy parenting may have saved this world.

Kaizu: …Thanks?

SH10: Alright, that's all of the direct questions, now let's answer some indirect questions that were implied in-between this and the last Q&A.

First one, from organization me. He asks how Prince Zuko could still be alive 500 years later?

Zuko: I'm not the same Zuko from ATLA. I'm his great-grandson, named after him in honor of the renaming of the Fire Nation Capital from Fire Nation Capital to New Zuko. You know… 'cause I'm the… 'new' Zuko.

Meiya: *cough* cheesy *cough*

SH10: Next, aguywithnorealaccount asks if he could have a Fire Elemental as a pet?

Ziro: Trust me, you don't want one. Those things are IMPOSSIBLE to house-train…

SH10: Hehehe. Well, those seem to be the only two indirect questions, so now it's time for our final question from TA. If the main characters had theme songs, what would they be?

Meiya: Mine is Hard by Rihanna and Young Jeezy

Kohi: I thought your theme song was All of the- *bonk!* Ow!

Meiya: That's NOT my theme song. Yet, at least.

SH10: You all are free to guess what Kohi was about to say. Speaking of Kohi, what's YOUR theme song?

Kohi: Party Rock Anthem! By LMFAO ft. Lauren Bennett and GoonRock!

SH10: No surprise there. Ischi?

Ischi: My and Zuko share a theme song.

Zuko: Love Story by Taylor Swift

Meiya: *gag*

SH10: You don't like Taylor Swift, Meiya?

Meiya: No, T is awesome. it's just sickening how that song is PERFECT for them.

Ziro: Judging from what I heard in the cast trailer a couple of nights ago, I'd have assumed that their theme song would be Blow by Ke$ha.

Ischi: *gasp!* That's not true!

Ziro: Just a Little Faster by There For Tomorrow

Ischi: *blush* No, t-that's-

Ziro: Or, for Zuko, Peacock by Katy Perry.

Zuko: H-HEY!

Audience: Ooooooooooooh!

Meiya: Holy. Crap. That was the harshest thing I've heard on the set all story.

Ziro: I've got some more if you want them. Sleazy by Ke$ha. Dirty Picture by Ke$ha. My Humps by BEP. Just Can't Get Enough by BEP. I could go all day, if you'd excuse the pun.

SH10: _O No, no, that's quite enough.

Ziro: Hehe.

Ischi: You ARE evil!

Ziro: Right now, I am. I'll probably make it up to you later.

Kaizu: Back on topic? I'm not sure I have a theme song.

Kohi: I'd say that your theme song is Hero by Skillet.

Kaizu: Really? Why?

Meiya: Just listen to the lyrics. The first person I think about when I listen to Hero is you, Kaizu.

Kaizu: Hm, I'll have to listen to it.

SH10: Kumori's theme song is Run This Town by Jay-Z ft. Rihanna and Kanye West. It fits her like a glove, and Rihanna's voice is kind of the one I imagine Kumori would have. So, if the A:RotS series ever gets made into an actual show, or movie, look for Rihanna to voice Kumori. =)

Meiya: What about Reigo?

Ziro: Reigo's not a main character anymore. She doesn't get a theme song.

SH10: Whew! It looks like that's it! I changed my mind about giving you a sneak peek into M:TMN. It didn't seem to flow together. I'm going to have to work with it some more.

Thanks, you guys, you readers, and you delightful audience for joining me for the A:RotS 50th Chapter Spectacular! Have a safe drive home!

On behalf of TeamMeiya and the currently depressed Shadow Sovereign(ty), this is SH10, wishing you happy reading, and a happy school year! This is the last chapter before the new school year starts! WISH ME LUCK! XD


	52. The Best Defense

TeaMeiya stared up and around the entrance hall with awe. It was a colossal and intricate place, with every icy detail chiseled to perfection. Giant pillars of ice lined the hall, each one completely covered in some sorts of symbols. Icy crystals that seemed to supply their own light hung from the ceilings, but these crystals seemed to be a little broken, as they were flickering erratically.

At the end of the giant hallway was a giant mosaic painting of a blue woman, standing over a restless ocean. Her white hair was long, curly, and foamy, like stormy waters, and around her eyes, she wore a seaweed blindfold. She was dressed rather scantily, with only two seashells on either breast. Her long hair seemed to wrap around her waist just enough to conceal her more personal space without hiding her smooth, long legs.

"Who is this..?" Zuko murmured, unable to take his eyes off of the woman. Ischi scowled, then pinched Zuko roughly on the ear, bringing him back to his senses.

"Don't blame Zuko." Kaizu started, putting a hand on Ischi's shoulder. "Any man who had not already seen her image would be entranced by her. That is Orcas Titania, Nereid Queen, and mother of all Water Elementals."

"What did you mean by what you said?" Ischi asked.

"Orcas can manipulate lesser beings with her beauty. Her powers are so potent that even an image can have a similar effect. It is said that no being alive can look Orcas Titania in the eye without falling in love with her. Man or woman."

"Hence the blindfold?" Meiya guessed.

"Exactly. But this is a testament to Orcas' true strength. Her powers are diminished with a blindfold, and diminished even further when it is only her image. But a blindfolded image can still capture a man's heart."

"It's the seashells." Meiya said.

"Er… Maybe." Kaizu said, instinctively looking at the image's 'seashells', then quickly looking away again.

"I don't like this Orcas girl very much." Ischi said.

"You have nothing to worry about, Ischi." Zuko said, pulling her close.

"Let's keep moving." Meiya said sourly, walking up the hall. "Ugh, the closer I get, the more I want to touch those seashells…"

When TeaMeiya reached the end of the hall, they had come across a three-way fork. One hall on either side of them, and another hall directly in front of them.

"Uh… Ziro said 'Map left, journal right', right?" Meiya asked.

"I think so. But she didn't say anything about this middle path." Kohi pointed out

"Knowing Ziro, the middle way is probably the right way and the other two are traps. Should we split up?"

"This place is huge, and it seems like there's no one home. Maybe splitting up is the best option." Zuko said.

"Yeah! I'll go right with Meiya, and Zuko can go left with Ischi." Kohi suggested.

"Yeah, no. I'm going right with Ischi. You go left with Zuko." Meiya said, pushing Kohi away and pulling Ischi along toward the left passage. Kohi sighed and walked down the right path with Zuko, who also sighed, leaving Kaizu standing by himself.

"Guess I have the middle path." Kaizu said with a shrug, walking forward down the center path.

The path led into a deeper and darker part of the Icecrown, without windows to let light in. Instead, the only thing illuminating the big room was the group of flickering ice crystals set all about the room.

It looked as if Kaizu had stepped into the actual library wing of the 'building'. Curious, he pulled one of the books from its shelf, and tried to read the title. It appeared to be the same strange symbols that coated the pylons in the entrance hall.

"What an odd language…" Kaizu murmured to himself. "I wish I had some sort of cipher so I could read this. Maybe there's one in here."

Kaizu walked around the hall of icy shelves and icy slabs that these Elementals apparently used as literature, looking for anything that may help him to decipher this odd language. Something crackling in the back of the room caught his eye. He walked up to the crackling lights, stumbling upon something odd.

Icy wires were gathered together in a small square compartment. There were two wires in this particular compartment. One was almost completely broken, hanging on by just one strand, while another one had broken completely.

Kaizu scooped a small wad of snow on his finger and pressed it against the wall, pulling away quickly. The snow began to run down the icy wall, but mere moments later, it had frozen solid.

Kaizu scooped another wad of snow between two fingers and pressed the two halves of the badly stripped wires together. He pulled away, and after a few moments, the wires had been frozen together again. Another second later, the flickering light crystals around the room became steady, and glowed brighter, giving the room a much nicer, calmer feel.

With a smile, Kaizu did the same thing with the completely broken wire, but as he pressed the two halves together, a small bolt of blue-looking lightning jumped from the wire and hit Kaizu in the face, knocking his glasses off and causing him to stumble back. His glasses crackled with blue energy for a couple of moments before settling down again.

Kaizu shook his head and picked up his glasses, adjusting them and turning back to the wires. All of a sudden, a female voice sounded from somewhere in the air.

"Diagnostics in progress. Damage received: heavy. Damage repaired: minimal. Attempting to recover."

"Wha.." Kaizu groaned, confused. There was a chilly silence for a few seconds.

"Recovery failed. Attempt 2."

There was another silence. Kaizu looked around, wondering what he had just done.

"Attempt 2 failed. Attempting to salvage any system settings to an online state… Attempt successful. Defensive systems online."

"Defensive?" Kaizu asked himself.

"Voices detected; Floor 1, Biographical Wing. Floor 1, Kiosk. Floor 1, Historical Wing. Scanning."

"Uh oh…"

"Voices not recognized. Scanning the premises… Five unknown entities detected. Intruder alert! Defensive measures are now being taken! This is not a drill! All citizens are to quickly report to the bosom of Our Queen's Chambers in a safe and orderly fashion!"

"That doesn't sound good." Kaizu murmured.

000

Meiya and Ischi exited their hallway and entered a large, circular room. All around the room, shelves upon shelves of what appeared to be books were lined against the wall. In the center of the room was an engraving of a map of the whole first floor.

"Well, would you look at this…" Meiya murmured, walking up to the map. A spinning crystal floating a little ways above the map seemed to denote their current location.

"How are we supposed to take this with us? Even if we could rip it out of the icy stand that it's on, it's way too big and inconvenient for us to lug around." Ischi whined, frowning at the big slab of ice before them.

Meiya thought for a moment, before slapping her forehead.

"Duh! I'm a Waterbender. This place is a playground for me." Meiya said as she pointed her hand at the floor, bringing up a square slab. She studied the larger map for several second before breathing in deeply, then glaring hard at the slab she had raised. A smaller-scale replica of the map had pressed itself into the ice slab.

"Wow! Katara really taught you well!" Ischi said, clapping.

"Katara didn't teach me that. I just tried it to see what would happen. I'm honestly surprised that worked, myself." Meiya laughed. "Alright, so we're… here. Zuko and Kohi went right, which is another dead end, and Kaizu continued forward. It looks like the forward path leads to-

"Diagnostics in progress. Damage received: heavy. Damage repaired: minimal. Attempting to recover."

"What the-" Meiya gasped, surprised at the sudden interruption, followed by an ominous silence.

"What was that?" Meiya asked Ischi. She opened her mouth to speak, but the source-less female voice spoke up again. Meiya noticed that as the voice spoke, the glowing crystals around them resonated in tune with the voice.

"Recovery failed. Attempt 2."

"M-Maybe we should leave. I'm starting to get scared." Ischi said with growing concern.

"Attempt 2 failed. Attempting to salvage any system settings to an online state. Attempt successful. Defensive systems online."

"Defensive systems? Now I AM scared.." Ischi stammered. "We have the map, Meiya. Let's just-

"Voices detected; Floor 1, Historical Wing. Floor 1, Kiosk. Floor 1, Biographical Wing. Scanning."

"Meiya! They heard us! We have to go, now!"

"I'm with you." Meiya nodded, hurrying toward the exit.

"Voices not recognized. Scanning the premises… Five unknown entities detected. Intruder alert! Defensive measures are now being taken! This is not a drill! All citizens are to quickly report to the bosom of Our Queen's Chambers in a safe and orderly fashion!"

Before Meiya and Ischi could exit, giant icy doors closed them into the room.

On the ceiling, a small icy port opened up, and what looked like sharks made entirely of water came down from the port and swam through the air toward Meiya and Ischi.

Ischi quickly hit the floor, covering her head. Meiya wasn't as cowardly, and dodged to either side to avoid the sharks.

"I can't reach this far! Ischi, can you break down the door?" Meiya called.

"I-I'll try!" Ischi stammered, standing and kicking at the doors with all of her might.

Meiya continued to evade the water sharks, but one came up from behind her and swallowed her whole, carrying Meiya up toward the center of the room. All of the sharks that had emerged melded together with the shark that captured Meiya, suspending the drowning Avatar in a big bubble of water.

"Meiya!" Ischia gasped, unable to do anything for her.

Within the bubble, Meiya clutched at her throat, trying as best as she could to hold her breath. It was only several seconds later that she couldn't bear it anymore and open her mouth to give a big, water-seeped scream.

000

"Ooooooooooooh…" Kohi purred as she and Zuko entered a giant hexagonal room. The entire room was very shiny, lit up by various crystals throughout the room. Circular ports lined the entire room on each side. On the back wall was a bookcase, lined with several thick-looking tomes.

Zuko walked up to the bookcase and picked out the last book from the shelf, frowning as he flipped through the pages of the book, which seemed to be made entirely out of ice and snow.

"I can't read this… Any of it." Zuko said. Kohi took a look at it and developed the same frown.

"Try another book." she suggested.

Zuko shrugged and grabbed the next book down. The language looked the same.

"Nope. Can't read any of this."

"Well… what do we do?" Kohi asked.

"There's got to be some way we can translate this. Let's go find Ischi and the others and see what they found."

Zuko put the second book back and carried the first one to the doorway. They were about to exit, when the crystals around them began to glow brighter, and began to flash and resonate as a female voice rang out.

"Diagnostics in progress. Damage received: heavy. Damage repaired: minimal. Attempting to recover."

"Whoa, what was that?" Koi asked, jumping in surprise.

"Recovery failed. Attempt 2."

"Recovery? What kind of place is this?"

"Attempt 2 failed. Attempting to salvage any system settings to an online state. Attempt successful. Defensive systems online."

"Ah, crap. Of course…" Zuko groaned, slapping his palm to his forehead.

"Well, wait. Maybe it won't-" Kohi started, but was interrupted by the voice again.

"Voices detected; Floor 1, Historical Wing. Floor 1, Kiosk. Floor 1, Biographical Wing. Scanning. Voices not recognized. Scanning the premises… Five unknown entities detected. Intruder alert! Defensive measures are now being taken! This is not a drill! All citizens are to quickly report to the bosom of Our Queen's Chambers in a safe and orderly fashion!"

Suddenly, icy doors sealed them inside the room.

"Zuko? What's going on?" Kohi chattered frantically.

"How would I know?" Zuko asked with concern, looking around. Suddenly, all of the circular ports on the walls opened at once, and torrents of water began to pour from them. More ports on the ceiling delivered raging cascades of water upon the room, and it was quickly flooded, almost to the ceiling.

Kohi flailed around in a panic for several seconds, before Zuko grabbed her arm and stared hard at her, as if telling her to calm down. She did so, and focused enough to use Airbending to create a helmet of air, maintaining her breathing by drawing oxygen from the water around the helmet.

Kohi sighed with relief, then flinched as Zuko punched her on the arm. She nodded and made an air helmet for him, as well.

"How are we going to get out of here?" Kohi tried to ask Zuko. He furled his eyebrows and held his hand to his ear.

Before Kohi could respond, a giant splash from up above distracted her. A giant glowing blue crystal fell from a large port in the center of the ceiling, drifting down to the bottom of the room. Moments later, the water became extremely frigid. Zuko and Kohi gasped at the sudden rush of biting cold, which intensified with each passing second.

000

Kaizu leaped quickly out of the way upon looking up and seeing a giant object falling from the ceiling toward him. It hit the ice with a loud clang, rolling off for a few feet, then falling flat. Upon closer inspection, Kaizu saw that it was a giant crystal ring of some sort. No later than a second after coming to this realization, a cascade of water fell from the same place, surrounding the giant ring and lifting it up into the air, creating an orb of water around the ring. The water distorted, stretched, and morphed around the ring, forming the body of a humanoid-like water creature that wore the ring like a belt.

Kaizu took a defensive stance and backed slowly away from the creature who simply stared after him. After carefully analyzing him for several seconds, the creature, threw one arm at Kaizu, sending a wave of water straight at him.

Kaizu quickly responded by sweeping his hand in front of him and sending a wave of violet flames to counteract the attack, blowing up a huge cloud of steam. He retaliated by launching his own assault, a pillar of purple fire.

The attack hit the monster's arm dead on, blowing it off in a cloud of steam. It only flinched for a moment, then began to absorb the ice on the floor under it, using that water to regrow its arm.

Kaizu stood, stunned at how easily his attack was defied. When the water creature saw an opening, it swung its arm again, sending another wave of water. Kaizu had no time to react, and was plastered to the wall by the wave, which froze and stuck him there.

Steam rose as Kaizu tried to use Firebending to melt his way out, but the ice barring him was thicker and a lot more resilient than he expected. He clenched is teeth and glared at the Elemental as it approached him.

000

"Meiya, Meiya! Don't panic!" Ischi screamed.

Meiya tried to hold what little breath she had left, flailing her arms and trying and failing to swim out of th churning bubble.

"Okay, uh… Um… Oh! Try using Firebending to evaporate the water!"

"Meiya nodded and extended one hand, blasting a small pillar of flame inside the water sphere. Steam began to rise out of the sphere, but bubbles vigorously began to disturb the surface as well. Moments later, Meiya's eyes widened and she began to flail her arms even more frantically.

"Ho-o-o-o-t! Ho-o-o-o-t!" Meiya gurgled.

"Okay, that was a bad idea!" Ischi screamed apologetically, a small sweatdrop forming on the back of her nape. "Um… Ooh! try freezing it!"

Meiya extended both arms and yelled out. Suddenly, the entire sphere froze solid, then fell from the sky and landed with a thud.

Ischi gasped and placed a hand over her mouth, walking up to the frozen ball. She rapped on the ball with her knuckles, which was met with 'angry' rattling and muffling from within the sphere.

"Sorry, Meiya! I thought it would break when it hit the ground!" Ischi said. "Don't worry, though! Zuko can probably fix this!"

Ischi returned to the sealed door and resumed her kicking, until the ice finally gave out and shattered.

"Here we go, Meiya." Ischi said, getting behind the orb and aiming it at the door. "Hold on tight! Oh, wait…. Nevermind."

Ischi began to rapidly roll the frozen orb out the door and down the hall. She stopped and gasped, turning around and reentering the room, leaving Meiya to roll uncontrollably on her own. Ischi picked up the engraved map that Meiya had made, then ran down the hall again, picking up her speed when she saw that she had let Meiya roll on.

000

As her body temperature lowered, Kohi's vision began to blur. Her mind had slowed down, but she was able to think hard enough to find a way to counteract the cold. Inside her air helmet, she breathed in as hard as she could, then blew, expanding her bubble to surround her entire body.

Knowing that she wasn't done, Kohi breathed in hard again and made an air bubble that surrounded Zuko as well. Both were painfully shivering, and they could barely talk through their chattering teeth.

"Z-Zuko, I-I-I c-can't hold this b-bubble forever. Wh-What do w-w-we d-do?"

Zuko was silent for a few seconds, before speaking up. "C-Can you move th-this thing?"

"I th-think so."

"M-Move us to the door. I-I'll try to melt it so we can get out of h-here."

Kohi nodded and pushed her hands on the bubble's surface facing the door. The air bubble cruised slowly toward the door, pushing the water away from it. When Zuko's feet were on the floor and not thin air, he walked up to the door and put his hands on the door, heating up his hands so that the door would melt.

"Could you melt that a little faster? My arms are getting tired…" Kohi panted.

Zuko frowned, straining to increase the temperature as much as he could, but the frigidness of the water left him mostly powerless. After about a minute, the air bubble around them began to get smaller.

"Hurry!" Kohi yelled, in a panic.

Just a few moments later, and just as the bubble became too small for the both of them, Zuko had pushed his hands forward, creating a hole just big enough for him to squeeze through.

"Kohi, come on! Quickly!" Zuko yelled.

Kohi frantically leaped into the hole, but stopped suddenly when she was halfway through.

"Zuko, I'm stuck! My jacket is too thick! I can't- AH! COLDCOLDCOLD!" Kohi screamed as the bubble completely disappeared and her lower body was once again exposed to the frigid waters.

Zuko grimaced, then grabbed Kohi's arms and began to tug hard.

"Ow! OW! Stop, you're gonna rip my arms off!" Kohi complained.

"Then I'll just melt a bigger hole." Zuko said, putting his hand on the icy door. "This should only take a minute."

"ZUKO! WE DON'T HAVE A MINUTE! LOOK!" Kohi yelled with a frightened voice.

Zuko looked behind him and saw a large ball of ice rolling toward them. It was still pretty far away, but there was no way Zuko would melt enough ice before they were both smeared against the door.

"Are you KIDDING me?" Zuko yelled in frustration. He looked at Kohi and saw that the waistband of the lower half of her garbs had escaped with the top half of her body. Zuko reached around Kohi's waist and grabbed both ends of the waistband, stretching them apart.

"HEY! What do you think you're doing?" Kohi loudly protested.

"Wriggle out of your pants." Zuko said as seriously as possible, trying to keep his composure.

"WHAT? Are you crazy?"

"Do you want to become a big red stain in the hallway? Then get your ass out of these pants!"

Kohi groaned to herself before placing both hands solidly on the floor and twisting and shaking her body. She progressively began to come forward, and after a few seconds, she came completely out of her pants and hit the ground, rolling to one side to avoid the rolling ball of ice.

A torrent of water escaped the fresh hole in the door. Zuko pulled Kohi's pants out of the column of water and scrambled out of the way, himself. The ice ball hit the door hard, causing it and the door to explode into a bunch of shards. The broken door released a giant wave of water which swept up Zuko and Kohi, and also Meiya, who mysteriously appeared with them. The giant wave of water thundered down the hallway.

000

Ischi had all but lost sight of Meiya's ice ball. She stopped and put her hands on her knees, panting and looking at the floor. She looked up when she heard rumbling and saw a massive wave of water coming straight at her. She had just enough time to gasp and hold her breath before the wave swept her up, too, carrying all four of them down the hall and back into the main room.

The wave had dissipated a little once it had other places it could go. It diminished enough to stop TeaMeiya's ride, and they lay, sprawled out in front of the image of Orcas Titania.

Ischi sat up first, shaking the water out of her hair. She looked up and saw Meiya glaring at her.

"Thanks, Ischi, for all of those HELPFUL suggestions!" Meiya pouted, wringing her hair out.

"Sorry…" Ischi murmured. "What was that wave? And where'd you two come from?" Ischi said, looking at Zuko and Kohi. "And Zuko, why do you have Kohi's pants?"

like that again!" she said as she put her pants back on.

"H-Huh? What did you two do down there?" Ischi asked.

"It… It's a long story." Zuko said, scratching the back of his head.

Ischi gasped and covered her mouth. "Y-You didn't- You two didn't…"

"No! I'm not a homewrecker, Ischi; I'd never do that to you and Zuko. I was just stuck in a hole, and getting me out of my pants was the best way to get me unstuck."

"If only you could hear yourself…" Meiya said. "Did you guys find the reason why the Icecrown is here down your path?"

"I… don't know. I can't read any of what this thing has to say." Zuko said, picking up the ice book.

"Well, we were met with success. I got a good rubbing of our first floor map. Seems everything else on this floor is down the same path that Kaizu took."

"Let's go find him. Things should be easier if we all stick together." Ischi said.

"Best idea of the night." Meiya joked, rolling her eyes and walking toward the center path, with the others following.

Meiya gasped as she entered, immediately noticing the giant water monster lumbering toward Kaizu, who was frozen to the wall from the neck down to his thighs. The monster turned around and stared at Meiya, before smothering Kaizu with one hand and freezing his entire body against the wall. The monster then began to approach TeaMeiya. All of them braced themselves and prepared for a fight.

**(A/N: It's official: school's back in. Chapter circulation has clearly slowed to a crawl, but bear with me. The chapters WILL come, no matter how long it takes! -fanfare-**

**Who was your favorite to follow in this chapter? Ischi and Meiya, Kohi and Zuko, or solo Kaizu? Answer in your review!**

**Also, let me know what you think of Orcas Titania. What do you think she's like, and what do you think she can do? REVIEW!**

**On behalf of TeaMeiya and the hostile residents of the Icecrown, this is SH10, defying Hurricane Irene! Stay strong, East Coast! Till next time!**


	53. Is a Good Offense

"Alright, guys… No sudden movements." Meiya murmured. "Just back away slowly."

TeaMeiya slowly began to shrink back as the large humanoid water creature stalked toward them.

"You think it'll steam up if Zuko and I blast it with fire?" Meiya asked.

"Worth a shot." Zuko replied with a shrug.

"Alright. We'll blast it, and while it's steamed up, Ischi, you go free Kaizu. Kohi, you cover Ischi."

"Um, o-okay." Ischi said, sounding unsure.

"Got it." Kohi nodded, sounding more sure of the plan.

"Ready..? GO!" Meiya shouted. She and Zuko launched big blasts of fire at the creature, which exploded into a huge cloud of steam. Kohi ran forward and used Airbending to clear a path to where Kaizu was frozen against the wall.

Ischi charged as quickly as she could down the cleared path, with Kohi right behind her to keep the path clear.

"Hurry, guys! It's reforming!" Meiya called from the other side of the room.

Ischi steeled her resolve and picked up speed. When she was within range, she leaped forward and planted a solid shoulder into the sheet of ice separating her from Kaizu.

The ice didn't give; it just gave it a nasty crack. Ischi, however, bounced back from the recoil, slamming into Kohi and sending them both sliding on the ground.

"Owwwwwwwww…." both injured girls groaned.

On the other side of the room, Meiya and Zuko struggled to keep the Water Elemental in check. As quickly as they blasted it, the creature was reforming as if nothing was striking it, and the two Firebenders were quickly losing energy.

Kaizu struggled to move within his icy prison. The more he struggled, the larger the crack expanded, and at the same time, he summoned as much of his energy as he could and heated up his body to melt more of the ice.

Ischi stood up and tensed up her other shoulder, backing up as much as she could before charging forward again, leaping and slamming into the ice shell. More nasty cracks formed in the ice, but it still didn't break.

"Come on, Ischi! Stop dropping your shoulder when you jump! Hit that ice like a girl!" Kohi encouraged.

Ischi gathered as much of her strength that remained and took one more run at the ice, leaping and successfully smashing the shell, freeing Kaizu.

Upon being released, Kaizu fell to the floor, trying to calm his shivering by heating his body.

"I-I owe you one, I-Ischi." he chattered as he stood.

"You're my son, Kaizu; you don't owe me a cent!" Ischi laughed.

Ischi gasped and leaped out of the way as Meiya and Zuko slid past her and hit the wall.

"Th-Th-This thing just w-won't d-d-die!" Meiya growled through her grimace. "What the heck is it, anyway?

"If I had to guess, I'd say it's a Water Elemental, the water variant of the fire beast you fought at Republic City. It's extremely resilient, apparently. It can use water to repair damage done to it.

"This entire place is made of ice. It's essentially invincible in here." Zuko realized gravely.

"No…" Meiya said, thinking. "I was able to freeze some water sharks together in the kiosk, and they didn't turn back into sharks. They were trying to drown my in the air when I did it."

"Move!" Kaizu yelled, leaping backwards. The rest of TeaMeiya scrambled out of the way of the Elemental's watery fist as it smashed into the floor where Meiya was standing. The punch sent a ripple through the ice, raising it into a circular wave of water which swallowed the team and sent them flailing into the walls of the room.

"Talk about splash damage…" Kohi groaned, rubbing the back of her head.

"Shut up, Kohi." Meiya growled at her.

Kaizu stood and shook the water out of his hair, looking around quickly at the room.

"No windows. So the books don't melt. That means there's little, if any, water in the air here. Meiya, can you bend the Elemental?"

Meiya extended her hands at the Elemental which progressively began to slow down, before stopping altogether.

"Urgh… It's tough, but I'm holding it in place." Meiya grunted, her arms beginning to wobble.

"Lift it and freeze it. If your hunch is right, that should be it."

Meiya breathing in, then began to lift her arms up into the air. The weight, or power, of the Elemental made it extremely difficult for Meiya to lift, but eventually, she got a good enough height. She then clenched her fists, turning the Water Elemental into an ice sculpture in less than a second, all except for the gold and blue belt it was wearing.

Meiya dropped her arms, causing the frozen Elemental to drop to the ground. Before anyone could exhale with relief, though, the sculpture began to move. It rolled onto its stomach and stood up, curiously touching its featureless face with its now solid hands.

"Oh, come ON! What happened?" Meiya complained.

"I think it's that belt. Did the creatures you froze have rings or belts like that?" Kaizu asked.

"No…"

"Then that belt is the focus. It's what's making the Elemental an Elemental and not just a creature made of living water."

"There's a difference?" Kohi asked. She gasped and leaped out of the way as the monster smashed the ground that she was sitting on a moment ago.

"We have to remove that belt." Kaizu determined, taking a stance and launching a steam of violet flames at the beast. At the same time, Meiya tried to correct her mistake by clenching and unclenching her fists, turning the beast back into water. Kaizu's fame blast blew up a huge cloud of steam, but otherwise, had no effect on the Elemental.

Kaizu slapped his palm to his face, sighing.

"Sorry." Meiya said, wiping away an embarrassed bead of sweat.

"It's alright… But you just gave me an idea. It's a dangerous idea, and it's an idea I've only used once, and that was a long time ago. Lift the Elemental into the air again, but this time, hold it in place."

Meiya breathed in and picked up the Water Elemental again, her face turning red with the strain.

"Hold it steady…" Kaizu said, breathing in and out. Purple electricity crackled on his body and he stepped back and took a stance.

"Hrgg… Hurry… I can't hold it for much longer…" Meiya groaned.

Kaizu squinted hard at the Elemental before lunging forward and thrusting two fingers at it. An arm-thick bolt of lightning exploded out of Kaizu's fingers and struck the belt. The entire form of the Water Elemental turned into a sparkling, flailing blob of lightning, which exploded in a large flash of light. What fell from the sky surprised all of them. It was a dark orb, about as large as a grapefruit, and surrounded in some sort of dark aura.

"…The heck? What is this?" Meiya said.

"It appears to be a leftover mote of the elemental we just destroyed." Kaizu said, picking it up.

"What's a mote?" Kohi asked.

"A small piece or shard of something." Kaizu said as he picked it up and felt it tingle in his hands.

"This kind of power could be useful. We should take it with us." Kaizu nodded, giving the mote to Ischi to hold.

"There's one more room past this one that branches out to several more room all about the first floor. This place is very complex…" Meiya said.

"Well, we're not splitting up again. Let's see where this place takes us." Zuko said. He looked up at the writing above the doorway in the back of the room. As expected, he couldn't read it at all. He shook his and was about to start walking when Kaizu said something that stopped him.

"Elevation Chamber." he said, adjusting his glasses.

"…What?" Zuko asked.

"The writing above the passage you were looking at. It says 'Elevation Chamber'."

"Whaa..? You can READ that?" Kohi exclaimed. Kaizu looked confused.

"Of course. Can't you? The writing couldn't be any clearer. Odd, though, that I can read THAT but not these… books…"

As Kaizu said that, he grabbed a random book and flipped through it. Furling his brows, he put the book down and grabbed the same book that he failed to read earlier. All of it was now legible.

"I… I can read this. How is this possible? I couldn't read any of this before I fixed those wires."

Kaizu had a suddenly flashback, remembering that a flash of some sort of energy struck his glasses. Forming a hypothesis in his head, Kaizu took his glasses off and tried to read the book again. No dice. He put them back on, and the writing was as clear as day.

"My glasses must be charged with some kind of energy that allows me to read this…"

"Really?" Kohi asked. "Well, can you read this?"

She handed him the history book and he flipped through it.

"Every word… It seems this is the wing of Orcas' castle that Ragnarok, lord of the Plane of Fire, hacked off during the First Elemental War 200 years ago. The energy that came with separating this piece of the palace was so great that it sent the wing to the waking world. It rose out of the sea with a great roar right outside the Northern Water tribe territory. It seems that the Scholar's wing was populated when it was banished, and the horrible energy turned them into corrupted monsters."

"So, there are elementals still here." Meiya determined.

"Most likely. Let's move onward and see what we find out about this Elevation Chamber." Kaizu said, closing the book, grabbing a couple more, and walking on.

TeaMeiya came upon a large, empty room with a giant icy tube leading high up into the air.

"A giant elevator!" Kohi yelled. "This is perfect! If it leads to the top, this trip should be shorter than we all had assumed!"

"I'd bet anything that it doesn't work." Meiya said. All five of them entered the large open elevator. There weren't any operations, controls, or anything that seemed to make it work. Just five glowing sigils on the ground.

"So, what now? How do we get it to work?"

Kaizu flipped through a couple of the books he had taken.

"This elevator is supposed to have five Elementals stationed here at all times. It won't work without them."

"Pfft. I'm the second-best Waterbender around. I'm sure I could power a measly little panel and make it rise." Meiya said, lifting her hands. Nothing moved.

"Gr. What's going on?" Meiya growled in frustration, trying to lift it again.

"Like I said, it won't work without five Elementals." Kaizu repeated.

"All the Elementals here have gone mad! How do we get this to work?" Meiya complained.

Kaizu stared curiously at the mote in Ischi's hands.

"Eat the mote." Kaizu suggested. Everyone gave Kaizu an odd stare.

"You not serious, are you?" Meiya groaned.

"It's the best way I can think of to trick this elevator into thinking you're a Water Elemental. Ischi, give her the mote."

Ischi furled her eyebrows as she handed the tingling sphere to Meiya, who prepared to chomp down on it.

"No! Don't bite it!" Kaizu sad suddenly, covering Meiya's mouth. "If you puncture it, it could explode."

"Well, then how do you expect me to eat this?" Meiya demanded.

"Just stuff it in your mouth and see if it melts." Zuko suggested.

Meiya sighed before opening her mouth wide and cramming the large mote inside. It was a tight, uncomfortable fit at first, but it progressively melted in Meiya's mouth. When it was completely gone, Meiya looked around.

"Well? How do you feel?" Ischi asked.

"There's a tingly feeling in my stomach. It tickles a little bit."

"Alright, now we just have to link you to four more motes and we can get this thing working again." Kaizu said.

"Alright, you CAN'T be serious, now." Meiya groaned.

**(A/N: Sorry I have to cut this chapter short, but the next couple of parts are too good to spoil right away! ^^**

**School has completely screwed me over… Algebra 2 homework takes forever, and by the time I'm done with it, I'm in no mood to do any of my other homework, or work on the story. Sorry that I'm so aloof, guys.**

**Anyway, before I go, I have something to say. A few weeks ago, I received my first REAL bad review for this story. But not in the form of a review. In the form of a text message. Of course, I'm not giving a name, but the sender claimed that I had no imagination or creativity, and that my characters were 'dupes', cheap copies of the original ATLA characters. The sender also said that the plot was railing and that it was extremely similar to ATLA.**

**I, of course, do not agree in the slightest, but I want your opinion, out of curiosity. Look at ATLA, and then look at A:RotS. Are the two really as similar as the bad reviewer claims they are? Be honest.**

**On behalf of TeaMeiya and the life-draining Algebra 2, this is SH10, wishing you happy reading! Stay safe, everyone.)**


	54. Screwing Me Over

Hey, guys, it's Shadowheart. School has decided to completely screw me over. =_=

It may be another week or so before I can find time to squeeze the next chapter out of all of the school work piled up around me. Bear with me. Sophmore year is REALLY tough.

Just a little advert, if you haven't checked out my other stories, that'd be a good thing to do while I'm fighting to get ahead with this one, so…

Until next time, guys! Pray for me, please! ^^


	55. It's Cold! It's Dark! It's SCAAAAARY!

**(A/N: Hey, guys. If you haven't heard or seen it already, someone has indeed copied my story. But not 'copy', like change some words around and change the names, I mean COPY, as in word for word. Right down to my Author's Note.**

**Of course, I told him off. Soundly.**

**Honestly, I wouldn't have minded as much if he HAD changed the words around and changed some names, and tweaked the plot JUST a little; in fact I would've been honored, but by copy-pasting the first chapter of my story, completely word for word without putting ANY effort into changing a thing, he's made a mockery of me and all the work I've put into making this story as rawrsome as you all tell me it is.**

**Luckily, the troll seems to have been deleted. The carbon copy is gone, and so are his other copies.**

**Whew! Now that I'm out of rage mode, onto the story!)**

TeaMeiya stared, less-than-determined, at the stairway before them, leading down into a deeper, darker part of the Scholar's Wing.

Meiya turned to Kaizu, her expression unchanging.

"Do we really have to go down there?" she asked.

"We've searched the whole floor, and we haven't found any more Water Elemental motes. Or any more Water Elementals. Since the elevator is clearly out of order, and there are no stairs that I can see, logic dictates that all of the corrupted Water Elementals are down in the basement." Kaizu said. "So, yeah. We DO really have to go down there."

"Uhh…" Meiya groaned, taking another look at the dark stairway. "Who's going first?"

000

The loud clang of a hammer crashing down onto burning metal resounded throughout the dark forge underneath Republic City Hall in the future. Earthbenders and Firebenders worked tirelessly to craft and forge whatever it was they were building from the metal chunks they started with.

Kumori casually walked through the cloud of smoke and soot, looking around at the work they were doing. She stopped at one anvil, where an Earthbender leaned over his work, panting and wiping his brow.

Kumori sneered and grabbed the hilt of the blade that the Earthbender was working on, looking at it curiously. The blade was still glowing orange and hot slag dripped from it and singed the ground.

"Hm… Tell me, Earthbender. Does this blade look finished to you?" Kumori asked curiously.

"Uh… No, Milady. I haven't-"

"Then would you like to explain why you thought you had the liberty to stop working? I thought I was fairly clear in-briefing. Time is literally of the essence."

"I apologize, Milady. I was simply fatig- Hrgh! *choke!*"

A shadowy tendril shot up from the ground and wrapped tightly around the man's thick throat. His face turned purple within seconds.

"Be thankful I stopped the rest of that excuse from escaping your lips. I'd hate to have to make someone else stop working in order to clean up the mess, had it did." Kumori said, still staring in contempt at the unfinished blade. She put it back in its place and looked the man right in the eye. He was still gasping for a breath.

"You don't know me too well. I REALLY don't like to repeat myself. It's one of my pet peeves, you see." Kumori said to him. "But, since I'm in a fairly good mood, and since you feel that since you work just as hard as everyone else in this damned dungeon, you deserve special treatment, I'll give it to you. But please be sure to open your ears this time."

The man's eyes rolled back into his head and he stopped flailing. Kumori stepped forward and whispered into his ear.

"Do not stop working until you have completed your designated assignment. Don't move a muscle if you understand."

The strangled man was as still as a stone. Kumori smiled and released the tendril's grip on her victim's neck. He slumped to the ground, still not moving. Kumori patted him on the head before turning around. The other workers, who had stopped to watch, immediately went back to work.

As Kumori walked away, the man she had strangled gave a great gasp and his eyes returned to their place. He sat up quickly, panting heavily as he watched his Sovereign disappear into the smoke. A shiver fell down his spine as he stood and wiped his brow, continuing his work on the sword.

000

Meiya grumbled to herself, being the first to descend the stairwell into the darkness. A couple of crystals illuminated the bottom, but other than that, it was pitch-black. When she reached the bottom, she looked around. Other than an incessant dripping noise coming from an indeterminable location, nothing moved…

Suddenly, a shadow passed in front of the light emanated by one of the crystals. Meiya noticed, and her throat immediately tightened.

"Guys… I could use some sup- Whoa!" Meiya was cut off as she suddenly hit the ground and was dragged into the shadows, screaming.

"Meiya!" Kohi yelled, running down the steps. Everyone else followed. Kohi ran in the direction of where Meiya disappeared, but it was way too dark.

"It's much colder down here than it is upstairs… I can barely make a flame." Kaizu said, snapping his fingers and throwing sparks, but no fire. Zuko couldn't even throw a spark.

"We can't just leave Meiya like that! She's in danger!"

"Well, let's regroup at those crystal lights so we can plan our next-"

Before Zuko could finish, a smashing sound rang out, and the light disappeared, leaving everyone standing in pitch-blackness.

"You can't be serious…" Kaizu growled.

"Just stay calm, and we should- WHOA! Something just touched my leg!"

"Sorry…" Kohi murmured.

"Alright, like I said, just stay- WHOA!" Zuko cried as he also hit he ground and got dragged away.

"Zuko! Zuk- Ahhh!" Ischi yelled, meeting a similar fate.

"Kohi, come on!" Kaizu yelled, grabbing Kohi's arm and running her back up the steps. into the light of the upper floor.

"Kaizu, what are we going to do? Our team is going to get eaten!"

"No they're not." Kaizu said.

"Because we're not going to let them?" Kohi asked, strength and courage rising in her voice.

"No, because Water Elementals can't eat. Beside the point, though. They've captured our friends somewhere down there, and we've got to get them back."

"Yeah!" Kohi yelled, leaping high into the air with her Airbending.

"Just not this moment."

Kohi floated sadly back down to the ground. "Why not?"

"We need to turn the lights on first. There's got to be something in one of these books that tells us where the power cells are in this place." Kaizu said, beginning to run back to the library, with Kohi in tow.

000

Kaizu began rapidly flipping through pages of books, eagerly looking for something about the basement of the Scholar's Wing.

"Hey, what's this diagram?" Kohi asked. "It looks like a map, but I can't tell what these symbols mean."

Kaizu looked at what Kohi had found. The stairs in the diagram looked similar to the curved stairwell that led into the basement. A strange symbol was placed on top of the stairs, on the wall where the stairs originate. Little writings were engraved beneath it.

"Energy…"

Kaizu took the diagram and looked at the two-wired box attached to the wall. On the back of the box were the same engravings as on the diagram.

"Just as I thought. There's another module just like this one underneath the steps to the basement."

Kaizu and Kohi walked back to the basement stairs, staring down into the black abyss where their friends were taken away.

"We can't risk getting snatched up like the others… Lower me down with Airbending right here."

Kohi nodded and lifted Kaizu in the air, hovering him over the long drop to the basement floor.

"Oops!" Kohi gasped as her hand cramped and the wind holding Kaizu vanished. He began to free-fall, gritting his teeth as he closed the distance between him and the floor. If the drop didn't kill him, whatever was down there probably would.

Right before impact, the air beneath Kaizu holding him up returned. Kohi was using all the strength in her good hand to keep Kaizu in place. She shakily floated him to the darkened box underneath the stairs.

'Something is cutting these wires…' Kaizu thought, seeing how the cables were torn free from their place in the port. He tried to jam them back into place, with no success.

Thinking quickly, Kaizu charged purple energy in his hand and fired it into the port. The energy box exploded with crackles of purple energy, and warm violet light illuminated the basement. Giant light crystals, now powered by Kaizu's energy, hung from the ceiling.

Kaizu was let down to the floor, and Kohi joined him.

"I have no idea how long that power surge will last, so let's find them quickly and get those motes." Kaizu said, running with Kohi down the hall.

**(A/N: Sorry, guys. It's not that there's a super-special surprise that I can't ruin next chapter that forces me to cut this chapter so short, but the fact that I owe you guys this, since I've been so quiet for so long…**

**Yeah, sorry about that. School is ripping me to shreds! But I hope you can forgive me for not being diligent.**

**The next chapter, or next part of this chapter, depending on how you see it, will be up a week or later, depending on how school treats me.**

**On behalf of TeaMeiya and the Shadow Sovereignty, this is SH10, wishing you happy readings! Till next time!)**


	56. ANOTHER Hiatus

Sigh... Nothing seems to be going my way... My computer is half-broken. It keeps randomly crashing, sometimes before it even loads. I'm lucky it's staying on long enough for me to type this to you. I can't work like this...

Unfortunately, the story will have to be going on an indefinite hiatus until I can either get the computer fixed or get a new one. Rest assured, this story will NOT die! But if you're reading this and you HAVEN'T placed me on Author Alert or Story Alert, I highly recommend you do so. I honestly have no idea when I'll be able to get this going again, so you'll need to keep me monitored.

Thanks for being such great readers, guys! Pray for me, please! Until we meet again, this is SH10, signing out. /salute


	57. The Tyrannical Archivist

**(A/N: Here I am again! Ready for another rawrsome chappie? No? Too bad!)**

Kaizu looked around at the basement room they had just entered. It seemed to be an archive of some sort, but it was in complete disrepair. Most of the books and texts were ruined, if not destroyed completely. A section of the wall looked as if it was melted, and cracks riddled the floor.

"Yeah, they definitely came through here… At least Zuko and Ischi were." Kohi noted.

"Meiya may have been, as well. She can Earthbend and Firebend, too, now."

"Maybe. Any clue which way they might've gone?"

"Most of the carnage in this basement was here long before we arrived. It's going to be hard to track them… Let's try straight ahead."

Kohi nodded, following Kaizu deeper into the pits of the basement.

000

Meiya's eyes slowly fluttered open. She felt groggy and heavy-headed… Wait, what? HEAVY-headed?

Meiya touched her head, surprised to find that something like a crown had been bestowed upon her. She tried to take it off and look at it, but it seemed like the crown was stuck fast to her head. That, plus the crown was made of ice, equals agonizing brain freeze.

Meiya growled as the dull ache coursed through her skull. She stood from her throne, looking around at where her captors had… Wait, what?

Meiya quickly turned around, realizing that she had been placed on an illustrious throne of ice. She turned around again at the sound of a watery cacophony below her. The first thing that came to Meiya's attention was that Ischi and Zuko had been hoisted into the air, and stuck together in an ice cocoon that was being suspended by a thick strand of ice that hung from the ceiling. They were still unconscious, though.

The noise was coming from the horde of sickly green water elementals that sat around the throne, looking at her as if she was their mother.

"What the heck is going on here..?"

"Queen…" the elementals murmured incessantly. Meiya almost seemed flabbergasted that these things could speak, not to mention that she could understand them, what with their strange written language.

"Wh-What are you talking about?"

"M-Meiya..?" groaned Ischi's voice from above. "Is that you?"

"What did you do to them?" Meiya demanded from the sickly-looking elementals.

"We feared their resistance..." An elemental that looked slimmer than the rest stepped forward.

"The Scholar's Wing... MUST be reclaimed..." it groaned, as if just speaking caused it pain. "We are put upon... by the tyrannical Archivist and his legion... He was the first of many to fall to madness... To be corrupted by the physical as well as the mental shock of being banished from our home..."

"Archivist..?" Meiya asked.

"You can understand these things?" Ischi gasped. "It sounds like running water and ocean waves to me."

"The Archivist... He is... was... one of the Nereid Queen's inner circle. When Her Majesty's palace was destroyed in the First Great War, he was trapped in the Scholar's Wing with the rest of us as it was wrenched into this plane... He went mad, mostly with power. He no longer stood in his Queen's shadow and could rule us as he wished..." the Elemental continued.

Kaizu and Kohi emerged from one hallway, immediately taking stances as they saw the crowd of Elementals.

"Guys, no! They're not enemies! They need our help and they're desperate for it."

Zuko began to stir beside Ischi. When he noticed his position, he began to heat himself up, melting the icy casing they were locked in.

Zuko fell to the floor first, immediately taking his own stance. Meiya put a hand on his shoulder, shakng her head, and he relaxed.

"Help us... Please..." the thin elemental pleaded.

Ischi dropped down from her perch and stod beside Zuko. Kaizu and Kohi made their way up to meet the others. TeaMeiya was complete once more.

"We'll help you." Meiya said with a nod. "Just point us in the right direction."

The elemental pointed to one wall, slowly, a circular door slid its way open, revealing a glass passageway. The passage showed that the basement level of the Scholar's wing was underwater.

"The Archivist rules us from the center of the floor, on the basement's lowest level... Please be careful... Not only are many like us still loyal to him... But there is danger lurking in these depths... I can feel it.."

Meiya nodded, and the group began to make their way toward the glass passage, determined to help the elementals and find more motes.

**(A/N: Sorry about my month-long absense. I lost a bit of my zeal for this story, having not been able to work on it for so long. But for now, I'm back! Sorry the chapter's so short, too... The next chapter will be much longer, I promise!**

**On behalf of the put-upon Water Elementals, this is SH10, wishing you a happy Thanksgiving!)**


	58. Pest Control: The Second Round

Meiya looked around in amazement at their glass corridor that TeaMeiya was walking through. Arctic sea creatures swam by and look with curiosity at the strange new objects under the sea.

"This place is beautiful..." Ischi gasped.

"No time to sightsee... Remembe why we're here." Kaizu reminded.

Meiya nodded and continued moving forward. "... Fork in the road."

Lo and behold, the team eventually came across a circular room with two different paths before them, not including the one they came from.

Meiya closed her eyes and stretched an arm down the right path.

"Hrm... Hard to fathom... Who knows what could be down there?"

Meiya shrugged and stretched her arm down the left path. After a few moments, she gasped and her eyes snapped open.

"Down the right path! No questions! HURRY!" she yelled, pushing her team toward the 'unfathomable' path.

"Huh? But wha-"

"I said no questions!" Meiya silenced Kohi. "Just RUN!"

Kohi meeped and ran with the others down the path. Moments later, a roar pierced the air and a giant, deformed water elemental charged down from the other hall and followed TeaMeiya.

"Holy mother of-" Ischi screamed out.

"Keep moving!" Meiya yelled, using Airbending to propel them forward.

"Dead end!" Zuko gasped as they came upon another circular room with no paths other than the one they came out of.

They all turned around to see the elemental continuing to charge full speed at them, oaring and gurgling in delight at their fear.

"If we don't do something, this is going to be OUR dead end!" Ischi panicked.

Kaizu breathed out sharply, lunging forward and firing a plume of violet flames. Zuko quickly followed his lead, assaulting the gargantuan water monster with blistering flames.

Kohi and Meiya fired their own gales of wind at the monster, trying to slow him down. The heat from the fire thickened the air and made it a more effective wall. The beast began to slow down, and its gigantic bronze bracers began to shimmer and expand, falling off with a clang and flying with the wind down the hall.

Meiya gasped and saw her opportunity She switched from Airbending to Waterbending, clenching her fists and freezing the beastly elemental solid. It did not respond, and stayed a frozen statue.

Meiya let out a sigh, slumping to the floor. Kaizu walked up to the statue, squinting as he spied something glowing at its core. With a solid elbow, he cracked the statue's chest, then grimaced. He walked away from the statue, doing his best to hide the immense pain shooting through his arm.

Ischi patted Kaizu on the shoulder and tried the same move, with more success. By driving her elbow through the crack that Kaizu formed, she split the statue in half, and the glowing core dropped to the floor.

"Is that another mote?" Meiya inquired with a raised eyebrow.

"It is..." Kaizu grunted through gritted teeth.

Meiya walked up to the glowing mote on the floor and picked it up, opening her mouth and preparing to engulf the swirling orb.

"Don't! We need the other four motes whole. You need to channel power through them in order to work the elevator." Kaizu called. Meiya closed her mouth again.

"There must be something down that path that behemoth came out of... I don't want to, but we have to see what's down that path." Zuko said, starting to walk back down the way, the rest of the team following behind him.

Before they came back to the fork, they stopped as the entire complex seemed to be rumbling.

"The heck? What was..." Meya murmured, looking around instinctively as the tremors subsided. A giant dark form slowly swam its way past the glass tube the team stood in. A giant, guttural gurgle roared through the complex, and the entire palce rumbled again.

Ischi gasped as cracks began to form in the glass beneath them.

"Run!" she yelled out, taking Zuko and Kaizu's hands and charging down the hall. Meiya and Kohi followed close behind.

They reached the fork they came to before after several terrified second of running. Ischi began to run down the first hall, back to where they started, but before she could, the glass in that hall, shattered, allowing a torrent of deathly cold water to rush in.

Ischi screamed and dragged Zuko and Kaizu back down the hall.

"Down the rabbit hole, I guess." Meiya murmured, following Ischi down the other path in the fork, where the behemoth emerged from.

As they ran, the glass beneath their feet began to shift. They emerged from the glass tunnel into a large globular room. The dark form they saw earlier swam by again, swimming toward the glass.

"Whoa!" Kohi yelled as the shadowy beast clung to the glass with giant, viney tentacles and suction cups. Its body looked like a big bush of foliage. "It's a giant seaweed squid!"

"ANOTHER one?" Zuko frowned, remembering the last time they faced one of these creatures.

"This one is bigger! MUCH bigger!"

The glass began to crack, and water flowed into the chamber. Meiya quickly went into action, using Waterbending to push the water back and hold the dome together.

"Urgh..! Go! Spread out and find a way to drive that thing back! I'll keep it at bay for as long as I can!"

"Meiya, you can't seriously think you can defy THAT!" Ischi frowned.

"I'm the greatest living Waterbender in the world now... Katara taught me EVERYTHING she knew! I'm pretty sure I can AT LEAST hold back one of the most viscious creatures in the sea for AT LEAST long enough for you to figure something out! Now GO!"

Without another word, Ischi, Kohi, and Kaizu ran off into nearby tunnels. Zuko stayed, firing plumes of flames to seal the glass being cracked by the squid.

"Zuko! What are you doing? I said go!"

"You're in over your head, Meiya; you can't do it all! You're going to accept my help whether you liike it or not."

Meiya sighed and nodded, continuing to hold back the water while Zuko sealed the breaches.

000

Kaizu ran around for what felt like hours, dodging leaks and trying to seal them when he could. Eventually, he came upon a dead end.. As he turned around to head back, a shadowy form leaped onto his face. He gave out a muffled yell, thrying to pry the whatever-it-was from his head, but it was stuck fast. Eventually, he stopped resisting, and his arms dropped to his sides...

000

Kohi and Ischi ran together, looking for something that may help them fend off their massive adversary. They eventually came to a flooded chamber that led down deeper into the complex. Ischiw as about to turn back, but Kohi stopped her.

"Let's see what's underwater first. It could be the thing that could help Meiya!" she said, breathing in and forming a swirling air bubbe around them with a powerful exhale.

Kohi lifted the bubble and plunged it into the deep, slowly floating down to deepest and darkest level. By the time they had reached the bottom, the sea floor was ptch black, and they could barely see more than five feet in front of them.

"Kohi, there's nothing down here; let's leave..."

"We haven't even searched good yet! What are you scared of?" Kohi joked, punching Ischi lightly on the shoulder.

"T-T-That..." Ischi stammered, pointing at a glowing mass coming toward them. The mass illuminated a creature's silhouette, a sleek-looking form of water, slowly swimming toward them. The creature whispered in an ominous gurgle,

"The Archivissssst has notissssed your interferensssss, mortalsssss. Your interloping musssst come to a PERMANENT end..."

**(A/N: Thanks for being patient with me, guys! Lots of stuff I gotta busy myself with in school. I'll get to working on the next chapter, The Twilight Zone, fairly soon!**

**On behalf of TeaMeiya and the Denizensssss of the Sssssacrosssssanct, thisssss isssss SH10, sssssssssigning out! Peasssssssssse! n_n)**


	59. 3 Down! One More to Go!

"Keep sealing the cracks and we may just hold it off!" Meiya yelled to Zuko as she continued to hold water back from breaching the dome. Zuko nodded and squinted, never letting up.

The seaweed squid made another piercing gurgl and slammed a tentacle tip through the glass, making a huge hole and allowing a torrent of icy water to flood into the complex.

"Urgh..! Zuko, seal it quick!" Meiya groaned as she tried to maintain her Waterbending floodgate.

"That's not a crack, it's a hole! It's too large to cauterize!" Zuko quickly realized.

"C'mon, guys... Hurry it up!" Meiya murmured.

000

Kohi and Ischi stood back to back in Kohi's air bubble. Kohi stared daggers at the reptillian form swimming circles around them. Ischi regarded the beast with fear and uncertainty.

A small hum caught Kohi's attention. On the floor near the entranceway, she spotted a small spark which quickly disappeared after releasing a few bubbles.

"Stay close, Ischi. This shouldn't hurt." Kohi said.

"What shouldn't hurt?"

Kohi flicked a finger out, launching a bullet of air out of the bubble, arcing it toward the source of the spark. The bullet made contact with an icy box, similar to the one Kaizu found at the entrance to the basement. Tendrils of electricity began to whip and wave, causing the watery monster to writhe and hiss in agony, but also causing lights on the floor to illuminate the flooded room and expose the monster as a large, three-eyed water shark.

"Filthy! Filthy beassssssssts! My children will feasssssst upon your still-beating heartsssssss! Attack! Attack, my sssssspawn!"

The shark beast swam out of a hole in the room, being replaced by several smaller water sharks.

"They look like the ones that tried to drown Meiya!" Ischi gasped.

One shark lunged at Kohi's bubble, plunging its head inside and snapping its watery crystalline jaws. Kohi yelled out and delivered a solid, air-augmented punch, knocking the shark back into its domain. The bubble seemed to have gotten smaller.

"I'll try to channel some more air. Cover me." Kohi said, exhaling some more and causing the bubble to expand. Another shark forced its way into the bubble, beginning to float around in the air, similar to the ones from before.

Ischi grabbed the shark by the tail, surprised she could grip its watery form. She spun and tossed the shark back, only to have to fend off two more that approached.

"Okay, that should be big enough!" Kohi said, sounding a little woozy and light-headed. SHe tried to form another air fist, but failed. "Whew... Let me catch my breath first..."

"Please hurry... I'm not sure how much longer I can fend these things off!"

000

Meiya yelled out as electricity coarsed through her body. She quickly used Airbending to separate herself from the water she stood in, and the shock ended.

Meiya looked up and saw the seaweed squid convulsing, too. She looked down and saw Zuko belly-up in the water, not able to escape from the shock. She used a breath of air to float him above the water, then tried to focus back on the cracks, as well as the new hole, letting in gallons of ice water every second. Meiya did not have the strength to stop the flow completely, so instead, she decided to slowly freeze the hole's edges into its center. It was a very slow and agonizing job, but it appeared to be working.

Meiya was beginning to sweat. "I can't take much more of this... Hurry the hell up, you guys!"

000

Kohi cheered as the water sharks began to retreat back through the hole they came out of. Her victory was short-lived, however, as the original large water shark re-entered, opening its large jaws. The beast brandished rows upon rows of never-ending razor-sharp crytal teeth.

Ischi thoguht quickly and raised a slab of earth from the sea floor, using it to parry the monster's attempts to lunge forward and pop their air bubble. Kohi spotted the silhouette of another fusebox on the ceiling, and fired an air bullet out of it, sending another wave of electricity through the room. The beast seethed and screeched in agony, floating down to the sea floor.

"Ischi! Hold it down!" Kohi said.

Ischi nodded and caused curved bars to erect and pin the serpentine water monster to the sea floor.

Kohi looked around the illuminated room, spotting a large console-like device in one corner. She flew the bubble over to where the console was and, utterly confused by the many symbols and buttons, just decided on the big blue button on the top of the machine.

"Activating basement level defenses. Scanning." ccame a smooth voice from somewhere above.

"Structure condition: critical. Large offensive presence detected. Hull: breached. Threat level: 9.7. Evacuation: impossible. Only possible option: total electrical purge. Immediate action being taken. Goodbye."

Suddenly, the entire basement compound was alive with electric buzzing. Whips, tendrils, and bars of lightning, zipped rapidly all throughout the complex. Ischi and Kohi huddled together, watching the deadly light show in fear.

The watery beast roared out in horror and agony before exploding, the shattered peices of its body now indistinguishable from the watery grave that held them. The only visible pieces left of the beast was its many teeth and a shining mote on the floor.

000

The seaweed squid convulsed violently as it was charged with an obscene amount of electricity. Stray lightning found its way into the holes in the glass and flew around the room in crackling and deadly ribbons. Meiya could only hold her breath and keep perfectly still as the lighting coursed through the room.

Eventually, the beast stopped convulsing and it unstuck itself from the dome, weakly trying to swim off before sinking onto the sea floor.

Meiya sighed with relief, slowy using Waterbending to finish freezing the cracks and the hole. When the water stopped flowing in, she alighted back onto the ground.

"Nice job, guys." Meiya whispered to herself before she tried shaking Zuko awake.

000

Kohi and Ischi surfaced , taking in a deep breath of crispy, electric air. Ischi put the beast's mote into her pack before cracking her neck and stretching.

"The rumbling stopped. You think the monster's gone?" Kohi inquired.

"Let's go find Meiya and see." Ischi suggested with a nod, heading off to where they started. When they reached the large central dome, they found Meiya and Zuko, soaking wet and panting.

"Phew... Whatever you guys did, it worked. Thanks a lot." Meiya sighed. "Where's Kaizu?"

"He went in another direction... Oh, no! You don't think he could've been struck by the purge, do you?" Ischi gasped.

"Which way did he go?" Meiya asked, standing.

"Um... Down that hall, then the left... no, right path! He went right!"

"We went left." Kohi said.

"So he went right."

"Right!" Kohi nodded.

"I said right.."

"I know, I was saying-"

"Enough! Let's move!" Meiya growled, grabbing both of their arms and sprinting into Ischi and Kohi's discussed hall and down the right path in the fork. The room they entered was globular with a flat surface on the bottom. Floating in the center of the room was Kaizu.

There was a watery squid-lke being that had engulfed his entire head. Through its transluscent body, the team could make out Kaizu's face, slack-jawed and zombie-like.

Serpentine eyes opened up on the squid-ish form, blinking surreally at TeaMeiya.

"What have you done to Kaizu, you parasitic freak?" Meiya demanded.

"There is no Kaizu... There is only The Mind... And the vessel that hosts it..." the being said, using Kaizu's voice in a whisper. "The Mind... is the hand... of The Archivist..."

"Ah, jeez... Another one." Kohi sighed. "This mst be another one of the Archivist's inner circle, like that other monster we killed, Ischi."

"Whatever it is... We have to get it off of Kaizu." Zuko said with a squint.

"Kaizu's strong enough to crush any of us... How will we free him?"

"He can't take on all four of us! Let's all get him at once!"

On cue, all four sprung forward at Kaizu, who answered with a wave of purple flames, forcing them all to spread out.

"Just... die..." The Mind whispered again, punching the ground and causing a radila sheet of flames to burst forth.

Zuko held back the assault as best as he could with his own flames, while Meiya ad Kohi used Airbending to redirect them.

Meiya took out her staff and slammed one flat end of it onto the floor, causing the air to come down heavily in Kaizu's space, forcing him to one knee.

As he slowly tried to stand, Kohi buffeted him with air attacks, but they didn't look to have any effect.

"Agh, nothing's working..." meiy grumbled as Kaizu fought off the gravity well that Meiya formed and jumped forward, smacking her aside like she was made of paper.

"Ischi, Zuko! Try and hold him down!" Meiya seethed as she stood, clearly in pain.

Ischi tackled Kaizu and tried to piin hm to the floor. With Zuko's help, they successfully held him still.

With all of her remaining strength, Meiya grabbed The Mind and tried to wrench it off of Kaizu's head.

"Pacified..." The Mind whispered, releasing a cloud of ink from its water form. Meiya let go and began to cough. Suddenly, the ink turned blue. Meiya stopped coughing, then just stared ahead, seeming hypnotized by the very air in front of her.

"Meiya!" Kohi yelled, tackling Meiya and pulling her out of the ink.

Ischi and Zuko, who were also caught in the ink, had the same effect. Kaizu's possessed body easily threw them aside and stood.

"He's too strong... And that hypno-ink isn't helping at all..." Ischi groaned.

"I've got one more idea... Kohi! Help me make another gravity well!"

With Meiya and Kohi's combined Airbending might, they weighted down the ai around Kaizu exponentially, bringing him to both knees and making him unable to move.

"Now, Kohi! Air Dragon!"

Meiya and Kohi quickly stod back to back, the air around them spinning violently. Kohi tensed up her left hand while meiya tensed her right, and spinning air crawled up their arms, taking the form of the gaping maw of a dragon.

Both Airbenders sprung toward Kaizu at the same speed and pace, throwing both charged fists into his face and causing the dragon's jaws to snap down on him, sending him flying with a bursting gale of powerful winds.

The Mind released Kaizu from its grip and slid off of his head, floating in the air and blinking unevenly.

"A new vessel... must be found..." its whispered in its own ghastly voice. Spotting Meiya, it flew at her and latched onto her face.

"Hey!" the shocked Avatar gurgled, trying to pull it off. Kohi was still exhausted from the Air Dragon, but Ischi and Zuko ran to help.

"Get the heck off of me, you stupid-" Meiya yelled, getting cut off as The Mind engulfed her entire head like it did Kaizu's. She continued to fight it, but eventually, the mind control took over and her arms dropped to her side.

"M-Meiya..?" Kohi groaned, slowly standing.

"There is no Meiya... There is only-"

The Mind was cut off by Ischi's solid punch to the jaw, sending Meiya's body to the floor. Ischi stepped on Meiya's stomach, while Zuko held her arms.

"Thankfully, Meiya's easier to pin down." Ischi said with a smile.

"Sleep..." The Mind whispered, releasing another cloud of ink, which turned green instead of blue.

"Oh, no..! I... forgot..." Ischi yawned, before falling backwards. Zuko fell out, as well.

Meiya tried to stand, but like Kohi, her body was too strained and exhausted. The Mind released Meiya, looking for another suitable host. Ischi and Zuko were asleep. Meiya and Ischi were exhausted, and Kaizu was knocked out.

"Useless..." The Mind whispered. "Useless fodder... must be eliminated..."

The Mind released another cloud of ink which spread through out the entire room. The cloud turned red.

Suddenly, Kaizu quicly sat up and fired a ball of purple flames at the creature, causing it to explode into steam and causing its brain, which turned out to be a mote, to fall to the floor.

Kaizu only let out a sigh after he was sure all of the red ink had dissipated. He gently shook Ischi and Zuko awake, then helped Meiya and Kohi to their feet.

Meiya reched down and picked up the mote. Ischi took the one she was holding out of her pack, and Meiya threw her third to Kaizu.

"That makes three. Only one more left, and there's one person I know for sure we can get it from."

Everyone in the room looked at each other, thinking the same thought. Meiya placed all of the motes into her pack, walking out of the room.

"We're coming for YOU, this time, Archivist..." she said, steely determination in her voice.


	60. ANOTHER Another Hiatus

**(A/N: Guys, I'm really sorry.. I should've told you this a month ago… . School has completely screwed my mind up.. For a while now, I've lost my buzz for the story, and new buzzes for others have scarily begun to kick in. Don't panic! Don't panic! I've sworn to you that I'd finish this story, and I will. I just need to get back in line.. Perhaps when this school year is over and I can relax a little more, I'll find the time to commit to all of my buzzes. But until further notice, this story is going under indefinite hiatus.**

**Once again, I'm really sorry for this, guys.. Keep me on AA and check out some of my other stuff in the meanwhile. I love you guys forever, and I promise to come back to this story and finish it, you hear me? I PROMISE!))**


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